Walmart

Walmart Canada will open 35 to 40 supercentrers in 2010, including new stores, relocations of existing stores, store expansions and store remodels, representing a combined investment of almost half a billion dollars in Canadian communities.

While the world’s largest retailer posted a profit in the fourth quarter that beat Wall Street’s expectations, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.’s same-store sales declined 1.6 percent vs. a 2.4 percent increase the prior year, during the all-important year-end holiday period ended Jan. 31, 2010.

Americans’ Satisfaction with the goods and services they buy stayed strong in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

Despite the gloom of the recession that enveloped the nation last year, with its impact still being felt, U.S. consumers haven’t given up on chocolate, even as they cut back on other frills and took steps to curtail spending in virtually every way possible.

While there are recent signs that the U.S. economy has righted itself and is on a path to recovery, the road ahead faces significant headwinds that will make a true reversal protracted.

Wegmans Food Markets and Costco, Inc. have been chosen the best grocery retailers in a consumer survey conducted by global customer intelligence solutions company Market Force Information, Inc.

Retailers must improve the usability of their mobile Web sites if they want more consumers to use them, according to a new study from San Mateo, Calif.-based mobile and Internet research firm Keynote Competitive Research.

In a bid to give more autonomy to executives in regional markets, reinvigorate growth and leverage its global scale to reduce costs, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is realigning its U.S. operations by aligning its three operating divisions.