Walmart

StarKist is asking consumers to "Think Tuna" in a new campaign that promotes the different flavors and uses of its shelf-stable pouched products.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. second quarter earnings surpassed analysts' expectations but same store sales declined 1.2 percent vs. a 4.3 percent gain a year earlier, prompting it to take a conservative outlook for the third quarter same store sales expectations of 2 percent.

Consumers are continuing to purchase private label products at an increasing rate, per new research from The Nielsen Co.

The more than 350 attendees at the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit gathered for the second day in Las Vegas to examine what effects the recession has had on Hispanic consumers and their shopping habits.

Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is surveying potential store locations in New York, according to Crainsnewyork.com. After renouncing the initiative several years ago, due to opposition from labor unions and surrounding communities, the company now feels that the current economic recession has provided a unique opportunity to expand into the city.

Thanks to the consciousness-raising film “An Inconvenient Truth” and the Live Earth concert series, global awareness of environmental issues has increased, prompting attitudinal changes, but consumer behavior at retail is changing more slowly. In many cases, “green” concerns are the unwitting beneficiaries of tough financial times as people drive less and rediscover the versatility of leftovers.

Advertisers are aiming to reach the value-minded consumer with creative advertising executions that deliver recession-themed messaging. Nielsen IAG examined 67 value-themed ads across 11 national advertisers and found that breakthrough retention rates were not as expected.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Beltsville, Md.-based solar energy services provider SunEdison have teamed up to launch rooftop solar systems at five Walmart Puerto Rico locations over the next five years.