OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

New York -- Walmart has launched the latest installment of its social media-inspired merchandising initiative known as, “Get on the Shelf.”

The program, developed by the company’s digital think tank @WalmartLabs, affords entrepreneurs the ability to have their product featured on Walmart.com and possibly in select Walmart stores. The company issued an open call to anyone with an interesting product to enter between now and July 31 by submitting a video to https://getontheshelf.walmart.com.

Williams Lake, B.C. – Canadian e-commerce company UNA Global LLC is opening a new online retail site, FitnessConnections4U.com. The site specializes in at-home fitness products such as weights, benches, exercise mats and vitamins and supplements. It also offers a free blog with product reviews, exercise routines, safety precautions, and articles.

Naperville, Ill. – OfficeMax Inc. is expanding its offering of private-label writing products by 75%. The new products include pens, mechanical pencils, highlighters and permanent markers. OfficeMax is offering more private label writing items while it is also restyling existing ones.

"Our new and re-styled OfficeMax brand writing products round out our private brand solutions to meet a variety of price points and writing needs for our customers," said Ronald Lalla, executive VP, chief merchandising officer at OfficeMax.

Wallingford, Conn. -- Edible Arrangements, known for its fresh fruit arrangements, has launched a format, called Edible To Go, specifically designed for shopping malls and other high-traffic venues.

Austin, Minn. -- Karis Ventures LLC, an online retailer of kitchen products, has unveiled a new e-commerce site known as MyNewKitchenProducts.com. Product categories include blenders, coffee makers, cookware sets, food dehydrators, frying pans, juicers, kitchen carts, pasta makers, pot racks, pressure cookers, refrigerators and mini fridges, rice cookers, wine racks and wine coolers. Customers can filter products by price and create personal accounts to track orders.

New York – XO Group Inc., parent company of wedding/baby-themed e-commerce brands such as The Knot, The Bump and ijie.com, has named Michael Steib president, effective July 1. Steib most recently served as CEO of Vente-Privee USA, an e-commerce venture backed by American Express, and also held digital executive positions at companies including Google and NBC Universal.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack has named marketing and communications executive Merianne Roth as the company’s new VP of communications, a newly created role at the electronics retailer.

She joins RadioShack from the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she was VP of marketing and communications. Her background includes leadership roles for J.C. Penney, where she was director of consumer brand marketing and publicity, and Pier 1 Imports, where she served as senior manager of public relations.

Broomfield, Colo. – Famous Brands International, parent company of TCBY Yogurt and Mrs. Fields Cookies, has appointed Neal Courtney as CEO. Neal had been serving as the company's interim CEO since February and served as COO since May 2012.