Walmart

In a bid to make it easy to enjoy this fall’s harvest, Walmart is hosting a celebration of all things apple in 2,000 stores nationwide via an Apple Fest that will run throughout the month of October.

Well-respected industry executive Jim Donald has joined Bellingham, Wash.-based Haggen, Inc. as its president and CEO, replacing Dale Henley, who earlier this year said he would retire. In bringing Donald aboard as its new chief executive, the 33-store grocery store company is tapping one of the supermarket industry’s most experienced and talented executives.

Organizing its customer base into a number of individual “clusters” with specific characteristics is at the heart of Food Lion’s strategy that has seen creation of the chain’s new Bloom and Bottom Dollar banners to attract both upscale and price-conscious customers, the company’s chief operating officer, Cathy Green, told a snack industry conference last week.

Even as the economy begins to rebound, budget-friendly private labels continue to draw in consumers, according to a new report from Chicago-based Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). The report, “IRI Times & Trends Report: Game-Changing Economy Taking Private Label to New Heights” found that private label unit share has grown to 22.8 percent (up 1.2 points) in the past 12 months, while dollar share has grown 0.7 points to 17.6 percent.

Long lines and poorly stocked shelves may well await holiday shoppers this season. According to an annual hiring report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement agency, retailers will be hesitant in adding seasonal employees to their staffs this year.

In response to such research as Walmart Customer Insights data finding that over 50 percent of moms who shop at the mega-retailer were watching more movies at home with family to save money instead of going out, Walmart is rolling out a “Family Night Center” in all stores this month.

Dollar stores, one of the few categories of retail winner during 2009 (besides Wal-Mart), keep piling on the positive numbers. Dollar General Co. reported numbers for its second fiscal quarter on Thursday, turning in 8.6 percent increase in same-store sales compared with 2Q08. Its quarterly net income increased 238 percent.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has appointed Scott Price EVP, president and CEO, Walmart Asia. Effective Oct. 15, Price will report directly to Doug McMillon, president and CEO, Walmart International, and have responsibility for the company’s current operations in Asia, including China, India and Japan, in addition to business development in the Asia region.