The National Retail Federation has said that several brand-name U. S. retailers are upgrading their online offerings as Internet sales reached $134 billion last year.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that by the numbers, Internet sales are still a sideline for most retailers, making up 7 percent of all sales last year. Still, in a tight economy, retailers are not missing chances to expand their offerings in a venue that requires less sales staff and expensive commercial retail space.

It was further reported that with Macy's online sales hitting the $1 billion mark last year, the department store is upgrading its cash registers to allow customers to turn to its Web site if a store is out of stock of the item they want. JCPenney Co. and Kohl's Corp. are installing Internet stations in their retail outlets and Barnes & Noble Inc. chose the head of its online division to become its new chief executive officer.

The newspaper also said that to accommodate online demand, Nordstrom expanded a warehouse by 300,000 square feet. (With Inputs from Agencies)