A panel of experts and industry commentators on the United States’ private label sector, brought together by the U.S. Private Label Manufacturer’s Association, has cast its predictions for the sector in 2012. Many of the experts believe that 2012 will see American food retailers attempting to condense their stores, with urban centres becoming the prime location for locating new stores. Food Retail Industry Consultant Michael Sansolo, who is also senior vice president of the U.S. Food Marketing... ...Read more »

Wal-Mart Stores raised its full-year earnings per share guidance yesterday (16 November) on the back of a US$191m tax gain in the third quarter and expectations for a solid underlying operational performance in the fourth quarter.The world’s largest retailer increased its full-year EPS guidance to between $4.08 and $4.12 a share compared to the previous range of $3.95 to $4.05 per share. “The full-year increase in our EPS guidance reflects the tax benefit from the third quarter, and our... ...Read more »

Wal-Mart said it was “surprised” by criticism levelled at it by Greenpeace, which has accused the retail giant of driving rainforest deforestation and pushing animals to extinction by buying products from Asia Pulp and Paper.In a statement, Wal-Mart senior director of international corporate affairs Kevin Gardner said the company did not source paper from APP for products sold in the retailer’s largest markets. “Walmart does not support deforestation, and as Greenpeace’s... ...Read more »

Wal-Mart has appointed vice chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright as president and CEO of Global.com and Global Sourcing.Bill Simon has been promoted into Castro-Wright’s former position as president and CEO of Wal-Mart US, the retail giant said yesterday (29 June). Castro-Wright, who will continue to serve as vice chairman, and Simon will report directly to company president and CEO Mike Duke. The company said that Global.com and Global Sourcing are becoming increasingly important to Wal-Mart as... ...Read more »

Retail giant Wal-Mart has posted a 5.9% increase in revenues, as strong international sales offset slower growth in the US.The company said yesterday (18 May) that first-quarter sales climbed to US$99.1bn. Sales from Wal-Mart’s international businesses, which takes in markets including the UK, China and Canada, climbed 21.4%. Overseas sales were up almost 9% on a constant-currency basis. Earlier today, Wal-Mart’s UK arm Asda reported that its total sales in the first quarter had grown... ...Read more »

Wal-Mart announced today that it will implement additional beef safety measures designed to further protect customers against foodborne illnesses. The new process controls standards and goals are additions to a food safety program that already requires ground beef suppliers to test for E.coli O157:H7 and achieve prevention-based certification against one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) internationally recognized standards.”At Walmart and Sam’s Club, our commitment to providing... ...Read more »

* Asda aspires to be market leader in non-food, and clear #2 in food within five years * Chain of 100 Asda supermarkets (smaller food stores) and 150 Asda Living (non-food stores) planned * UK-wide rollout of its ‘Order Online, Collect in Store’ service completed * Asda to use global merchandising centers to further leverage Walmart’s global scale * Location of second Asda dedicated home shopping picking center unveiled in North London Wal-Mart outlined a number of ambitious plans... ...Read more »

US retail giant Walmart has announced plans to create Global.com, a new unit set up to improve its business online. The news is a further indication of the steady retail push toward the online channel. The unit will be headed by Wan Ling Martello, formerly the chief financial officer of Walmart International. She will assume the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Online shopping has continued to significantly outpace the growth of traditional retail channels around... ...Read more »

Australia’s two largest supermarket operators, Woolworths and Wesfarmers, have been listed in the world’s top 30 retail companies, according to the Deloitte Global Powers of Retailing 2010 report. The report, which identifies the 250 largest retailers by revenue for the fiscal year 2008 (encompasses fiscal years ended through June 2009), lists Woolworths in 26th position and Wesfarmers in 28th position. The two ASX-listed giants get the bulk of their revenue from supermarkets although... ...Read more »

The world’s largest grocer and retailer, Walmart, has seen profits rise despite the advent of a “new normal” in shopper behaviour that kept sales flat. Sales fell 1.4 per cent, with CEO Mike Duke implying that consumers were unlikely to revert to their previous spending habits. “Overall, our customers are more disciplined in their spending,” he noted, supporting numerous similar observations from other leading supermarket operators around the globe. “There’s... ...Read more »