Walmart

RFID will offer unprecedented supply chain visibility, says an expert panel. But first, retail managers must be able to see the way to strategic employment and real ROI.

INGOMAR, Pa. -- Michael Bergdahl, a full-time motivational speaker and writer based here, has published "The 10 Rules of Sam Walton," (Wiley, May 2006), his second book to reveal the secrets behind Wal-Mart's success and show readers how they might emulate some of the Bentonville, Ark.-based retail behemoth's most effective entrepreneurial strategies. His previous book, published in 2004, "What I Learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World," details his experiences working for the world's largest retailer.

NEW YORK -- What might seem like a baby step from the United Kingdom's leading retailer could have giant implications for U.S. food and convenience stores, industry observers said yesterday.

MIAMI -- In a presentation here on Tuesday, Wal-Mart vice chairman John Menzer outlined the retailer's plans to open more than 1,500 stores in the United States in the coming years. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. currently operates nearly 3,200 stores in the United States.

CARLISLE, Pa. -- With one-stop shopping quickly becoming a growing trend, Giant Food Stores here and its Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops Markets sister division are embarking on two new ways to add even greater value for customers: a new "Guaranteed Value" grocery and household product line and a new "Your Neighborhood Drugstore," concept for its heath and beauty care and sundries categories.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), a retail trade group here representing companies that operate more than 100,000 stores, yesterday filed suits challenging the so-called "Wal-Mart law" and another health care law, arguing that they "unlawfully mandate a specific health care expenditure, single out the retail industry, and threaten to eliminate the flexibility that businesses require to meet the needs of their diverse workforce." The lawsuits were filed in U.S. District Courts in Baltimore and Brooklyn, N.Y.

HAMDEN, Conn. -- Slightly more than half of New York City residents would like a Wal-Mart in their neighborhood, according to a new poll of 1,072 registered voters conducted by Quinnipiac University here. The survey found that 51 percent of New Yorkers in favor, 37 percent against, and 11 percent undecided.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart here said plans to purchase all of its wild-caught fresh and frozen fish for the North American market from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fisheries within the next three to five years, as part of a commitment to offering sustainable products at affordable prices to its customers.