General Merchandise

CHICAGO — An online grocery delivery service is launching "virtual grocery stores" at commuter rail stations across the country.

Peapod.com, owned by the U.S. subsidiary of Dutch supermarket operator Royal Ahold, announced it would launch more than 100 of the virtual grocery stores at commuter rail stations in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, New Jersey and Connecticut. Commuters in the markets Peapod serves spend an hour in transit to and from work each day, according to Census data.

CHICAGO — Contigo has introduced a new spill-proof water bottle for kids.

The new, BPA-free Striker water bottle is designed for children ages 3 years and older and features an AutoSpout lid, which includes a kid-friendly push-to-drink button for easy one-handed drinking on the go. The bottle also features a specially designed spill-proof valve — the first AutoSpout water bottle with this feature — which helps kids transition from sippy cups without the mess.

ST. LOUIS — Energizer Household Lighting has introduced an innovative option for those wanting the ambiance of candles without the worry of open flames: Energizer Flameless Wax Candles.

The Flameless Wax Candles, currently available online and at mass market retailers, feature a realistic flickering LED “flame” and melted edge design at the top of the candle. A three-level timer allows the user to schedule the candle to turn off after four, six or eight hours of use; the candle also can be programmed to turn on at the same time every day.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The company behind Soap.com has debuted an online shopping destination for natural, organic and sustainable products.

CLEVELAND — A greeting cards company announced that its board of directors has received a nonbinding proposal to go private.

American Greetings confirmed that the board received a letter from CEO Zev Weiss, president and COO Jeffrey Weiss, along with certain other members of the Weiss family and related parties, to acquire all of the outstanding class A and class B common shares of American Greetings not currently owned by the them for $17.18 per share.

WESTAMPTON, N.J. — A line of cord and cable management products is expanding to include a new item.

New Dotz reusable cord straps are designed to bundle together cords without having to use permanent ties. Each Dotz reusable cord strap features a built-in lock to keep bundles secure. The straps allow users to organize and uniquely identify cords by location and length.

Available in packs of five, new Dotz reusable cord straps carry a suggested retail price of $3.99.

WASHINGTON — The air is getting colder and retailers are already gearing up for the Christmas season, but before they do that, they will have to get through Halloween.

According to a recent NRF consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight, Halloween will be a big deal this year, with seven in 10 Americans saying they plan on celebrating the holiday. Consumers are expecting to spend more too; the average person will spend $79.82 on decorations, costumes and candy, up from $72.31 last year, with total Halloween spending expected to reach $8 billion.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Cesar has launched its Meaty Selects line.