P&G Launching Online Store

Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), looking to ramp up its U.S. sales in the face of retailer and consumer cutbacks, is launching an online store that will sell key brands, according to recent reports.

P&G’s new “eStore” comes as traditional retailers have reduced the variety of brands they carry and pushed their own private-label products. It will start as a pilot using 5,000 consumers in coming days. The site will carry only P&G products but will be owned and operated by PFSweb, an e-commerce service provider.

Not every P&G product will be available via the site initially, although big brands including Olay will be sold there. The new site– pgestore.com–is not yet publicly accessible but will up for use in the spring. There will be a flat $5 shipping fee for all orders, according to reports.