July 2, 2010 at 10:41 a.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Retail
By Dow Jones Newswires
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Chief Merchandising Officer John Fleming would resign from the company on Aug. 1, leaving the retail giant after 10 years of service and becoming the latest executive change.
The chief merchandising post is a key role for many retailers as that person typically steers a large staff and maintains relationships with vendors and suppliers. Wal-Mart is taking steps to improve its U.S. operations, with its high-profile move to open a second store in Chicago seen as a potential door-opener to other urban markets. The company also is opening smaller stores as it boosts its presence as a grocer. Get the full story »
June 30, 2010 at 2:22 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Jobs/employment,
Real estate,
Retail
By Clout Street
The City Council unanimously voted today to let Wal-Mart build a second store in Chicago, ending six years of political gridlock that prevented the giant retailer to expand inside city limits.
The vote allows construction to begin on the 270-acre Pullman Park development on the South Side that will be anchored by a Super Wal-Mart. It is a project long championed by Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, who said the new store will bring badly needed jobs in a hard-hit area suffering from a dearth of grocery stores.
June 24, 2010 at 6:20 p.m.
Filed under:
Politics,
Retail,
Unions
By Clout Street
In a move that could have nationwide implications for Wal-Mart’s expansion in major cities, the City Council Zoning Committee signed off today on a second store in Chicago. The decision marks Wal-Mart’s first victory in six years. The giant retailer overcame powerful union opposition that kept Chicago aldermen at bay as they weighed the prospect of bringing more jobs to their wards against the possibility of losing their own to labor-backed opponents at election time. The breakthrough followed months of behind-the-scenes wrangling among unions and Wal-Mart over how much workers will get paid, with Mayor Richard Daley publicly exhorting the two sides to agree.
June 24, 2010 at 9:57 a.m.
Filed under:
Development,
Food,
Litigation,
Retail
By Becky Yerak
Jewel-Osco’s parent company engaged in “dirty tricks” to defeat the building of a Wal-mart store in Mundelein, alleges a lawsuit filed Wednesday in a U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Rubloff Development Group Inc. is suing Minneapolis-based SuperValu Inc., which does business as Jewel-Osco, and a Hingham, Mass.-based consulting firm called Saint Consulting Group, whose Web site describes it as specializing “in winning zoning and land-use battles.”
Rubloff is trying to protect its use of certain documents in court. It says it has in its possession materials “that reveal that defendants orchestrated ‘dirty tricks’ campaigns to defeat or otherwise delay the establishment of new Wal-mart stores at shopping centers” that the Rockford-based real estate developer and another firm were planning. Get the full story »
June 22, 2010 at 1:34 p.m.
Filed under:
Labor,
Policy,
Politics,
Retail,
Unions
By Clout Street
Mayor Richard Daley Tuesday applauded Wal-Mart’s offer to pay workers at Chicago stores at least $8.75 an hour, saying the retailer is showing it is willing to go beyond what it pays elsewhere in order to bring much-needed jobs and healthy food options into the city.
The pro-Wal-Mart stance by Daley comes ahead of Thursday’s key City Council Zoning Committee vote on whether to allow the giant retailer to open a second store within city limits following years of stalled expansion efforts. The $8.75 an hour figure is 50 cents more than minimum wage but 50 cents less than labor unions are seeking.
June 21, 2010 at 6:08 p.m.
Filed under:
Labor,
Politics,
Retail
By Tribune staff report
From Clout Street | Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it will pay 50 cents more an hour than minimum wage if Chicago will allow it to build several stores in the city. Unions called the offer “disappointing” just three days before the City Council is to vote on a South Side store.
May 25, 2010 at 10:46 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Internet,
Technology,
Wireless
By Kristin Samuelson
| It looks like Wal-Mart’s big, yellow smiley face is continuing to roll back its prices. Starting today, Wal-Mart is dropping the price of the brand new entry-level, 16-gigabyte iPhone 3GS to $97 with a new two-year contract. The new price is $100 cheaper than its previous price.
Get the full story: The Problem Solver.
