Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is going for the jugular in the holiday retailing war, announcing Thursday that it will offer free shipping on nearly 60,000 online items — with no minimum purchase requirement. Get the full story »
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Wal-Mart tweaks holiday toy strategy
Wal-Mart shoppers wait in line on Dec. 21, 2009, at one of the retailer's stores in Ocoee, Fla., for Zhu Zhu toys. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)
After last Christmas, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. turned to its customers to find out how it could improve toy shopping this holiday season.
Moms told the nation’s largest retailer not to push Christmas toys until after Halloween passed and to give them more, not just $10 specials.
That was a price Wal-Mart promoted early and big in 2008 and 2009 in toys, books and DVDs, starting price wars in early October the last two years. Get the full story »
Barnes & Noble Nook on way to Wal-Mart shelves
Barnes & Noble Inc. will ship its Nook electronic readers to 2,500 Wal-Mart stores this month to reach more shoppers ahead of the holiday season.
The devices will hit Wal-Mart shelves as soon as Oct. 24 and will be available on the discount chain’s Web site, the world’s largest bookstore chain said in a statement Thursday. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart mulls options after Canada union ruling
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, on Friday said it was reviewing its options after a Canadian court ruled that a union properly won certification in a store in Saskatchewan. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart to boost locally sourced fresh food
Shoppers at a Wal-Mart in Orland Hills, Ill. (David Pierini/Chicago Tribune)
Wal-Mart is planning to double the sales of fresh produce it sources from local farms in its U.S. stores by the end of 2015, part of a strategy to revamp its global produce supply chain.
The world’s largest retailer said it would also sell more than $1 billion each year in food sourced from 1 million small and medium-sized farms in emerging markets by the end of 2015. That would help increase income for those farmers by 10 to 15 percent in the same time frame, Wal-Mart said. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart to offer free shipping to Chicago FedEx offices
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to unveil Thursday free delivery of purchases made through its web site to Chicago FedEx offices — a move aimed at reaching urban consumers.
The world’s largest retailer launched the pilot program, called FedEx Site-to-Store, this summer in Boston and Los Angeles. The test expands this week to Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.. There will be 40 FedEx sites participating in the Chicago market, concentrated in the city with a smattering of sites in the suburbs, according to Wal-Mart spokesman Ravi Jariwala. Get the full story »
After Chicago win, Wal-Mart could look to NYC
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. won the right to open two more stores in Chicago this year, but does that mean the world’s largest retailer can eventually take Manhattan?
In remarks at the start of a two-day analyst meeting, Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for government affairs and corporate relations, said the retailer’s reputation has shown improvement with both consumers and elected officials. Get the full story »
Sam’s Club to sell Apple’s iPad and iPhone
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s warehouse unit Sam’s Club will sell Apple’s iPad and iPhone.
The world’s largest retailer said at an investor meeting in Wednesday it is expanding Sam’s Club electronics and jewelry sections and will carry the popular tablet computer. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart to start selling iPads
Wal-Mart Stores will start selling Apple’s iPad tablet computer this Friday.
Wal-Mart said the iPad will be available in hundreds of its stores in the United States to start, expanding to more than 2,300 outlets by mid-November.
Wal-Mart rivals Best Buy and Target are already selling the iPad, which Apple launched in April. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart to end profit-sharing in benefits switch
Wal-Mart employees Robert Dion, left, and Jean-Philippe Barrere collect shopping carts in front of a store in Brossard, Quebec. (AP Photo/Ryan Remiorz)
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to end automatic profit-sharing contributions it has given employees for 39 years as part of a benefits overhaul that the world’s largest retailer says will let employees get more cash up front.
Starting in February, the company will end the profit-sharing contributions, which had equaled up to 4 percent of pay. It will instead offer more funds for bonuses, a 401(k) retirement plan contribution match and cash for medical expenses, according to a memo to Wal-Mart employees that was obtained by Reuters.
The profit-sharing, which has been in place since 1971, went into a program that let employees access the funds only at retirement, Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar said. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart: Workforce 36% larger by 2015
By Bloomberg News
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, plans to increase its workforce by 36 percent in the next five years as global economic growth boosts spending.
New employees will be hired “mostly” outside the U.S., Susan Chambers, executive vice president for human resources, said in a speech at a conference in New Delhi today. “The opportunity for growth is not just in India but global,” she said, without providing more details on the hiring plans. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart offers $4 billion for S. Africa’s Massmart
Wal-Mart is in talks to buy South Africa’s Massmart, a $4 billion deal that would give the U.S. retailer a big presence in fast-growing Africa and boost its emerging markets strategy. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart pledges to be price leader for toys
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is optimistic about demand for toys this holiday season and will stay “absolutely committed” to win on price in the segment, the world’s largest retailer told Reuters.
“In toys this year, we will be just as competitive on price as we have always been,” Laura Phillips, Wal-Mart’s vice president of toys said in an interview. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart planning smaller urban stores
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning an aggressive push into urban markets with a new small format that’s a fraction of the size of its supercenters.
The expansion is aimed at pumping up sluggish U.S. sales. The retailers is expected to spell out more details next month at a meeting with analysts. Get the full story »
Court allows part of organic-milk case to proceed
A federal appeals court says a group of dairy consumers can proceed with parts of a lawsuit alleging that several national retailers and an organic dairy company falsely labeled the dairy’s milk.
