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Electronics retailer hhgregg Inc. is looking to fill 500 new positions at 10 stores opening up in the Washington, D.C., area in the fall.The retailer said it is looking for applicants for sales associates, warehouse staff and customer service merchandiser positions. There will be 50 jobs at each of the 10 stores.

Amazon.com Inc. has launched a grocery website in Britain.Customers will have the option of bulk-buying items, a well as niche products like ethnic, kosher and vegan foods.Amazon already sells groceries online in the United States and has recently launched in Germany.Market research firm IGD forecasted that online sales of groceries will almost double to $11 billion by 2014.

Borders Group has launched its first e-bookstore. The company said its goal with the new store and e-reader is to take 17% of the electronic book market by next July. Amazon has the Kindle e-reader and Barnes & Noble has the Nook, and all the players are cutting prices to lure shoppers.Borders was later to this market than its rivals but said it took time to craft its strategy, which rests on selling books that can be used across multiple platforms rather than just one device.

Trans World Entertainment Corporation reported it will close its Carson, Calif., distribution center as part of its program to streamline its operations.The operations at the Carson facility will be phased out over the next two months. Trans World will service its stores from its distribution center located in Albany, N.Y.

No. 1 U.S. warehouse club operator Costco Wholesale saw June sales at stores open at least a year rise 4 percent, marginally missing market expectations, as it was hurt by the Memorial Day holiday shift.

The InterACT! Conference, an educational forum for marketers, brand owners and service providers on cross-media direct marketing opportunities and strategies, has launched "Build-a-Buzz" Giveaway - a social networking contest for marketers (or anyone) who wants to win one of four cool prizes: an Apple iPad, HP Netbook, Amazon Kindle or American Express gift card.

Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Today Framingham-based discount retailer The TJX Cos. Inc. reports that its sales rose 7 percent during the five-week period ended July 4, compared with the same period last year. The company said its sales for the five weeks were $2 billion. Consolidated comparable store sales rose 3 percent. TJX raised its outlook on earnings per share for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 to between $.70 and $.73, up from $.61 last year. It also raised its earnings-per-share estimate for the full year to between $3.24 and $3.33, up from $2.84 in fiscal 2010. TJX,

Hot Topic said late Wednesday its same-store sales in June fell 2.1%. Analysts, on average, had expected the same-store sales to drop 5.4%, according to Thomson Reuters. Total net sales for the five weeks ended July 3 slid 0.8% to $59 million.

With mobile commerce representing a major growth area for retail, the National Retail Federation, through its Mobile Retail Initiative, has unveiled the first version of the Mobile Retailing Blueprint.

('UPDATE: Retailers Post Mixed Results; Promotions Lift Sales,' published at 9:18 a.m. EDT, reported the incorrect estimate from analysts for Abercrombie & Fitch Co.