Tech Bytes: Virtual Vineyards Taps A Retail Vet to Be CEO

The pioneering Internet retailer Virtual Vineyards has hired a chief executive officer from the conventional food retailing field.

Michael Parker, who was president and chief operating officer of the $1 billion Trader Joe's chain, took the CEO title from Virtual Vineyards co- founder Robert Olson.

Mr. Olson, who remains chief technical officer, is widely regarded as an Internet commerce visionary. He and his wife's brother, Peter Granoff, a wine expert, formed the company in 1994 and helped usher its merchant bank, Wells Fargo Bank, into on-line payment processing.

Mr. Olson called Mr. Parker, who has more than 30 years of retailing experience, "among the top food and wine retailers in the U.S. He is the perfect fit to head our organization."

Virtual Vineyards recently raised $6 million from investors to bolster its worldwide marketing

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