Retail Briefs

Salt Lake City — Overstock.com, a leading e-tailer of name-brand surplus and closeout merchandise, has found a new friend in Sony. Effective this fall, the cyber store has been authorized to sell all of the company's factory reconditioned computer products, including its line of Vaio notebooks and Clie PDAs. Among the current offerings: a CLIE PEG-S360 for $99, a VAIO 1.7GHz Pentium 4 desktop system for $849.99 and a G220 17-inch flat display Trinitron monitor for $139.95. Overstock says it is only one of a handful of resellers that carries Sony factory refurbs.

New York — Evelyn Follit, senior VP and chief information officer of RadioShack, will be honored this week by the American Friends of Jerusalem College of Technology on behalf of its new Women's School of Engineering. Follit, the school's first ever Pioneer Woman in Technology honoree, will be feted at a ceremonial dinner for her inspiration to other women in business and technology. One of the highest-ranking women at RadioShack, and considered a Top 10 CIO in retailing, Follit is credited with helping to bring about diversity and opportunity for females at the company. The presentation will become an annual event that recognizes businesswomen for their leadership and as role models for other women.

Newington, Conn.— Bernie's, the 11-store CE and majap chain based here, has been named 2002 Retailer of the Year by the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association (CRMA). Said CRMA president Tim Phelan, "We're proud to recognize Bernie's and the Rosenberg family … whose business practices demonstrate the high ideals our members strive for, including a firm commitment to the state of Connecticut and loyalty to its employees and customers." Founder Bernie Rosenberg began the business in 1947 by selling radios and the first TVs out of his gas station in Hartford.