RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- "Where fashion meets function" is the goal of Anika, a new line of fashionable laptop bags and accessories designed specifically for women and available exclusively at Circuit City stores and http://www.circuitcity.com/ beginning March 1, 2005.

"The women of Circuit City are a driving force behind the Anika line. These associates saw a need for fun, colorful laptop bags and decided to take the idea from the drawing board to the sales floor," said Doug Moore, senior vice president, general merchandise manager at Circuit City Stores, Inc.

"Research and development approval here at headquarters and analysis of the marketplace was all our design team needed to develop an entire line of laptop bags and bags for other electronic products such as cameras and camcorders."

The Anika collection, available in six designs, features custom yarn-dyed, rubber backed fabrics, splash-proof zippers and quilted linings to protect computers, accessories and files. The line includes carryall bags, laptop bags, camera bags, camcorder bags, CD wallets and a wheeled overnight case.

The overnight case features sturdy skating wheels, an ergonomic retractable handle and a rugged design to make air travel a snap. Its unique design allows users to secure any Anika carryall bag to the overnight case via custom-designed clips and the retractable handle.

"Anika serves an important, underserved market segment-women," added Moore. "In addition to Anika's fashion forward product designs, we were inspired to move forward by market research about women's consumer electronics purchasing power and their business travel needs."

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, women purchase more than 50 percent of all consumer electronics products today and influence 80 percent of consumer electronics product purchases. NPD Techworld reports that women purchase 37 percent of laptop computers. "The Changing Nature of Female Business Travelers" (New York University Study) found that by 2005 women are expected to exceed 50 percent of the total number of business travelers.