Walmart

Smarter assortments and cross-merchandising teamwork will help nutrition foods and drinks stay in the race.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart, and drug store chains CVS and Walgreens, are new members of the ScriptSave pharmacy network.

LEEDS, England -- Wal-Mart-owned ASDA, the United Kingdom's No. 2 supermarket, said that it would overhaul its 278 health and beauty sections at a cost of 7 million pounds (U.S. $12.8 million), according to a report in U.K. newspaper the Evening Telegraph.

LONDON -- Wal-Mart has once again nabbed the top position in the annual list of the top 30 grocers worldwide, published by Planet Retail (www.planetretail.net) here.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. late last week vetoed the Fair Share Health Care Bill, which would have made Wal-Mart spend more on employee health benefits in the state, according to published reports. Ehrlich said the legislation would have kept other businesses from considering expansion in Maryland.

NEW YORK -- If you think Wal-Mart's big now, just wait until 2010, when the retailing giant is expected to reach the half-trillion mark. Those were the cautionary words spoken here yesterday by Al Meyers, s.v.p., business development for Retail Forward, Inc., during the consultancy's conference, "Retailing 2010: Five Years Survived, Five Left to Thrive."

BRISBANE and LOS GATOS, Calif. -- Wal-Mart and Netflix yesterday entered a joint promotional agreement covering their core online movie businesses --Walmart.com's movie sales and Netflix's DVD movie rentals. In the agreement the two retailers -- each with strong, complementary expertise in online movie services -- will market one another's key movie business on their respective Web sites.

The consumer focus on nutrition and convenience has spurred the growth of the yogurt market.