WALMART NEWS ON FASTMOVING

Madrid - At least 24 retail companies, including Hennes & Mauritz and Inditex, have agreed to improve safety at Bangladeshi textile factories by contributing up to 2.5 million dollars each towards that goal.  read more

New York - Wal-Mart Stores once again leads Fortune's list of the 500 biggest US companies by revenue, as the world's biggest retailer succeeded in posting strong growth despite a challenging economy for its shoppers. read more

Johannesburg - Shares of South African retailer Massmart tumbled more than 3 percent on Monday, after the Walmart unit warned it may fall short of its profit target this year, squeezed by weak consumer spending. read more

London - Asda, Britain's second-biggest grocer, said on Tuesday it would invest over £700m ($1bn) this year in its online operations, new and existing stores and its supply chain, helping to create 2 500 new jobs. read more

As Wal-Mart Stores plotted an African entry strategy, buying Massmart Holdings two years ago was just the right vehicle. With 377 stores across the continent and a strong position in South Africa, Massmart offered the Americans a firm foothold in a fast-growing region. read more

Holding $7.33 billion in cash at the end of fiscal 2013, Walmart has many options on how to expand its global reach through acquisitions in Turkey, Colombia and other nations. read more

New York -- Costco Wholesale appears to be eyeing China's online commerce market, according to published reports. read more

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), the world’s largest retailer, is trying out new delivery methods and adding to its mobile technology to improve Web-based shopping and step up its challenge to Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) read more

New York - US retail giant Walmart said on Tuesday it expected to suffer financial losses amid an ongoing probe into corruption scandals involving foreign subsidiaries. read more

South Africa, the eighth-biggest wine producer, is seeking to regain a foothold in the US market lost to imports from Australia to Argentina by promoting brands at Walmart Stores and Whole Foods Market, a diplomat said last week.  read more

Lonrho’s Oceanfresh Seafoods, local purveyor of fresh and frozen seafood, has recently been listed in Sam’s Club stores in the US.  read more

Dayton, Ohio -- Walmart holds on to the top spot in the annual ranking of the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands from branding consultancy firm Interbrand.  read more

Massmart delivered strong total sales for the six months to December 2012 which increased by 14.7% to R36,122.6 million. After adjusting for foreign exchange movements and Walmart transaction costs, including the R140m additional Supplier Development Fund charge related to the Competition Appeal Court ruling, headline earnings increased by 5.8% and operating profit by 6.1%.  read more

New York - Global retailing giant Walmart announced a higher dividend for 2014 as fourth quarter earnings showed strong growth helped by a lower tax rate. read more

Massmart would post lower earnings for the 26 weeks to December 23 due to costs related to the deal in which Walmart bought a 51 percent stake in the business, the retail group told shareholders..  read more

WalMart’s Mexican unit used a current state governor there to facilitate $156 000 (R1.4 million) in bribes meant to help open stores, an ex-lawyer for the retailer told company officials in 2005, according to documents released by members of the US Congress. read more

City of Commerce, Calif. -- The founding family of the 99 Cents Only Stores chain has been fired by its owners, with retail veteran Richard Anicetti and Michael Fung taking over top executive roles. read more

Bentonville, Arkansas - Wal-Mart Stores has alerted its global suppliers that it will immediately drop them if they subcontract their work to factories that haven't been authorised by the discounter. read more

Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday it will buy an additional $50 billion in US-made products over the next decade in such areas as sporting goods and high-end appliances in a bid to help boost the US economy. read more

Game Africa, a South African retail chain, is set to open its first outlet in Kenya, intensifying competition in the retail sector. read more

Walmart's price comparison ads claiming that the retail giant has better prices than specific, named competitors, have spurred legal retaliation from its angered foes. read more

The Indian government ordered a probe yesterday into the spending on lobbying by US retail giant Walmart to facilitate its entry into India.  read more

Mississsauga, Ontario -- Walmart Canada on Friday opened its 200th supercenter, in Edmonton, Alberta.  read more

Pantaloon Retail India Ltd. (PF) rose to the highest in more than a year, leading gains among retailers after India’s lower house of parliament voted to endorse a government decision to allow foreign investment in supermarkets. read more

New Delhi - The Indian government bowed to intense opposition pressure and agreed on Thursday to a vote on its decision to let foreign supermarkets set up shop in India, taking a major step towards ending a deadlock that has paralysed parliament for days. read more

Chicago - Protesters demanding higher wages and better healthcare for Walmart hourly workers converged on the retailer's stores across the United States, though there was no evidence they disrupted operations for the start of the crucial holiday shopping season. read more

Johannesburg - Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] expects no growth in margins until the end of 2013 as the unit of Wal-Mart Stores forges ahead with an aggressive cut-price strategy to double market share in food sales. read more

Retailers with plans to open their doors Thanksgiving night instead of waiting until Black Friday officially begins at midnight or the next morning are facing increasing criticism from employees upset at not being able to spend the holiday with their families.  read more

Indian authorities are investigating claims that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. violated foreign exchange rules when it invested $100 million in a domestic unit owned by its wholesale joint-venture partner, a law enforcement official said. read more

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported Thursday net income of $3.64 billion for the quarter ended Oct. 31, up from $3.34 billion in the year-ago period.  read more

Windhoek – American-based Walmart has dispatched a team from its British subsidiary, ASDA Walmart, to look at the quality of Namibia’s agricultural products. read more

TORONTO — Walmart Canada revealed its newest addition to its freight division, a “supercube” tractor-trailer that will carry 40 percent more cargo. read more

Mesa-based Esio Beverage Co. launched its latest product in Walmart stores nationwide Friday, hoping to target moms tired of hauling home bottles of various beverages. read more

Duluth, Ga. -- NCR Corp. announced that it will be installing 10,000 SelfServ Checkout lanes to more than 1,200 Walmart locations in the United States during 2013.  read more

New York -- While it may be days, even weeks, before the full extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy is known, economists are forecasting that retail sales will be impacted in October and November but that the economy overall will experience an uptick.  read more

Pretoria - Government is pursuing a strategy of linking small producers with major retailers such as Wallmart, Pick n Pay and Spar to sell their produce directly to them, says Minister of Agriculture Tina Joemat-Pettersson. read more

Best Buy Co. (BBY), the retailer resisting a takeover attempt by its founder, said fiscal third-quarter profit will be “significantly” below last year’s results as sales at established stores continue to decline.  read more

New York — Some Facebook investors may be feeling a bit disgruntled, but Walmart couldn’t be happier with its experience with the social network. read more

Tesco is trying to lure Chinese shoppers with promotions on soy sauce, cooking oil and apples this week. But Emily Zhang still won't do much shopping there. read more

South African government has welcomed the Competition Appeal Court's decision, instructing retail giant Walmart to set up a R240 million supplier development fund as a condition for it acquiring South African retailer Massmart.  read more

Multinational warehouse chain Makro, a subsidiary of Massmart, itself a subsidiary of international retail giant Walmart, is rolling out upwards of 80 000 of Pricer's electronic shelf labels (ESLs), supplied by Skydirect, an XON company, to the liquor departments in all 16 stores across South Africa.  read more

Local suppliers are starting to reap the benefits of Walmart’s presence in South Africa. A recent success story has been Seven Sisters, a range of locally produced wines from the Swartlands area in the Western Cape. The wines were launched in South Africa in 2007 and the estate now offers seven wines each named after one of the seven sisters who are also the producers of the wine. read more

Johannesburg - Retailer Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] welcomed a Competition Appeal Court ruling on Tuesday which provides clarity on its supplier development fund. read more

New York - Walmart is testing same-day delivery in select markets for customers who buy popular items online during the holiday season.  read more

New Delhi - Shopkeepers, traders and labourers in India blocked railway lines and closed markets on Thursday to protest against reforms allowing in foreign retail giants such as Walmart and Tesco. read more

Last week in Rogers, Ark., Walmart began testing an iPhone application that could potentially expedite and streamline the self-checkout process. The "Scan & Go" app allows shoppers to do just that — scan their items while they shop and bag them as they go. Once they have finished, shoppers take their cart full of merchandise to a self-checkout kiosk and complete their purchase through traditional payment methods. read more

The Indian government’s decision Friday to let big department stores like Wal-Mart Stores into the country could dramatically impact everything from the country’s food chain to its roads.  read more

Walmart Stores Inc is testing a “Scan & Go” system that would allow shoppers to scan items using their iPhones and then quickly pay at a self-checkout counter. read more

Walmart announced yesterday a consumer-driven change to its holiday layaway policy, extending the programme and cutting fees. read more

Supervalu Inc. (SVU), owner of the Albertsons and Save-A-Lot grocery-store chains, plans to close 60 stores as it copes with slumping sales. read more

Massmart plans to revamp 10 of its 17 Makro stores, which would thereafter offer fresh produce, butchery items and new brands.  read more

(Reuters) - The world's largest retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc has joined an alliance of other Fortune 500 companies, including Cargill and Kellogg Co, seeking to make agriculture more sustainable. read more

The first of many Walmart-branded products has hit the shelves of Massmart stores, signalling the beginning of a price war which analysts say Walmart will win.  read more

A group of big retailers that includes Wal-Mart Stores, Target and Japan's 7-Eleven is developing a mobile payment network, adding to the proliferation of options that let consumers pay with smartphones. read more

After its first full year as a subsidiary of the US retail giant, Massmart's food business is looking much stronger.  read more

Massmart CEO Grant Pattison declared the completion of the company’s entry into food retailing on Wednesday, saying it had reached critical mass in the sector.  read more

Massmart’s first year as a Walmart subsidiary has delivered strong sales growth. Good trading momentum was maintained amid intensified competition, while the group invested significantly in stores and infrastructure.  read more

New York - Shares in Walmart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, were under pressure on Thursday as Congress pressed on with an investigation of alleged bribery in Mexico. read more

Bloemfontein – Townships are profitable gold mines, but enterprises must not think they can dispose of their reject products there. read more

Massmart Holdings’ full-year headline earnings a share probably rose 34 percent at most, falling far short of expectations and sending its shares down as much as 5.1 percent, the local unit of Walmart said yesterday.  read more

Wal-Mart Stores is the new gold. It is attracting investors who see its shares as a safe haven amid a slowing global economy and volatile growth stocks.  read more

What started as a bitter courtroom battle has now turned into a beautiful marriage. read more

South African retailer Massmart’s campaign, to enlist black emerging farmers to supply fresh produce in the company’s string of supermarket chains, kicks off this week in Limpopo. read more

(Reuters) - A campaign backed by two Walmart heirs seeking to allow retail alcohol sales in the Arkansas county that is home to the company's headquarters has gathered enough signatures to put the question before voters on November 6, officials said on Monday. read more

Pretoria - Granting approval for the contentious Walmart-Massmart [JSE:MSM] merger was a serious error by the Competition Commission, Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Wednesday. read more

The entry of Walmart, with its low-price philosophy, into South Africa continues to shake up the retail sector, as suppliers to its Massmart subsidiary cut prices and its competitors are compelled to do the same.  read more

The Government must introduce a broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) charter for retailers to ensure they were fully compliant with BEE codes of practice, empowerment experts said yesterday.  read more

Johannesburg - Retailer Massmart [JSE:MSM] is in talks to enter Kenya, a senior executive said on Tuesday, the latest step by the unit of Walmart Stores to expand its presence in Africa. read more

Johannesburg - South African discount retailer Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] reported a 16% rise in full-year sales on Wednesday, a touch above analysts' estimates, boosted by the inclusion recently acquired stores. read more

The continent, long shrouded in scepticism and instability has become a modern day mecca for consumer facing multinationals in search of higher yield.  read more

Walmart recommends that its employees in “certain countries” make payments to police officers if they feel threatened by the officer’s behaviour.  read more

The first Makro in Free State province will open in Bloemfontein in September 2012. Makro Bloemfontein will be the 17th Makro store in South Africa and is being developed by Moolman Group - a leading national property company - for Makro on a triple-net lease.  read more

New York - Lawyers for Wal-Mart Stores have identified Brazil, India, China and South Africa along with Mexico as areas having the biggest risk for corruption, according to a letter from two congressmen who are doing their own investigation into the allegations of bribery in its Mexico operations. read more

Walmart and Massmart were likely to appeal any requirement that they put more than R250 million into a “supplier development fund”, a leading competition analyst said yesterday. read more

The R100m fund proposed by the Competition Tribunal to mitigate the harmful effects of Walmart’s entry into the South African market is inadequate and should be increased to up to R2bn, says Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz. read more

Massmart has shuffled its top management to improve focus on day-to-day operations, to facilitate the drive into food retail and to respond to additional Walmart responsibilities. read more

Wal-Mart Stores chief executive Mike Duke told employees and shareholders at the company’s annual meeting on Friday that the retailer, whose executives are accused of bribing Mexican officials, was committed to ethical behaviour. read more

Today is the first day of trade for Shoprite’s convertible registered bonds on the JSE after the group received approval on Friday. read more

The increasing internationalisation of Africa’s retail industry — specifically Walmart’s entry to the market — has shaken up SA’s supply chain, forcing local solutions companies to reinvent themselves, Amalgamated Appliance Holdings (Amap) CEO Alan Coward said on Friday. read more

Markets were disappointed by Walmart-controlled Massmart ’s sales update released yesterday, with its shares falling as much as 2,5% to reach their lowest level in almost a month. read more

Everyone expected all the learnings to come from Walmart. There was an expectation within the retail industry that Walmart would change how Massmart does business not only within the company itself, but for its suppliers and mostly its customers.  read more

Local retailers should take advantage of Wal-Mart's weaknesses, rather than competing on price, which is one of its greatest edges, Natalie Berg, global research director of retail analyst firm Planet Retail said.  read more

The outcome of government's appeal against the R16.5 billion merger of Wal-Mart and Massmart was positive, says Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel.  read more

Walmart Stores shares were down 3.1% in early premarket trading on Monday following an article in the New York Times this weekend alleging that the world’s largest retailer stymied an internal probe into bribery at its Mexican affiliate, Walmart de Mexico. read more

It has already been proven that Massmart-Walmart’s ten week extended price cut promotions offer numerous benefits to customers, including more time to plan for purchases. Adding to this, the promotions provide important insights regarding some of the implications of introducing Walmart's famed Every Day Low Price (EDLP) approach, to Massmart buyers.  read more

Though operational results for the second half of Pick n Pay's financial year are expected to show an improvement, the group's fervent investment in its turnaround strategy is likely to have had a negative impact on profit growth for the year.  read more

Walmart has launched a programme to provide training to women working for companies in its global supply chain read more

A ruling by the Competition Appeals Court ordering retailer Massmart to reinstate 503 retrenched workers could cost the company R80-million to R100-million in lost wages. read more

Walmart has said it is planning to source an increasing volume of agricultural products locally in the sub-continent.  read more

For global retailers looking to secure long term growth and diversify their source of income, setting up an African strategy is key.  read more

Loblaw's Joe Fresh, Canada's biggest grocer, opened a flagship store last week on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, but instead of meat and produce, it's selling $29-women's dresses and $12-men's shirts, according to Bloomberg.  read more

Walmart Stores Inc. plans to lower its grocery prices by $1 billion this year in hopes that customers will be drawn in by the lower prices on food and also make purchases in other areas of the store, according to a published report. The retail giant generated $145 billion in grocery sales last year.  read more

Service rather than price will be the battle ground of choice for smart retailers looking to take on global retail giant Wal-Mart, a customer service guru said recently.  read more

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) shoppers will get an eight-hour head start in buying Apple Inc.’s new iPad.  read more

Johannesburg - The merger conditions for Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] and international retail giant Walmart International (Walmart) could cost the retail groups more than they currently anticipate. Moreover, they have to wait a couple of months for final approval of the conditions of the transaction. read more

The SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union (Saccawu) is not happy with the Competition Appeal Court's “conservative” judgment on a merger between US retail giant Walmart and local company Massmart. read more

Johannesburg - The Competition Appeal Court will release its judgment today on the review of the Walmart-Massmart merger. read more

Industry analysts are predicting that Walmart will announce its support for Hollywood's UltraViolet digital movie technology at a media event next week in L.A., according to a blog on the L.A. Times site.  read more

Massmart-Walmart were yesterday advised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Namibia that the merger has been approved in Namibia subject to the following three conditions: read more

Kenyan retail chains that have gone aggressive in their regional expansions are expected to meet stiff competition from South African retailers such as Massmart, Shoprite, Pick n Pay and Spar.  read more