FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — At Walmart’s Associate and Shareholders Meeting here at the beginning of this month, president and chief executive officer Doug McMillon gave a nod to the company’s past while staying focused on its future and the drive to find new ways to grow and serve customers. This year Walmart celebrated the 100th anniversary
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings Corp. has identified 100 unprofitable stores and will shutter 63 of them in early September. Liquidation sales at 48 Sears outlets and 15 Kmarts will begin as early as June 14. The company announced the closings while reporting its first quarter results, which included a drop of more than
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Southeastern Grocers announced it has completed a financial restructuring under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code and is poised to compete in an unforgiving retail environment. The owner of the Winn-Dixie, BI-LO, Harveys and Fresco y Más grocery chains said bankruptcy protection allowed the company to transform its financial profile and reduce
WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — Warehouse club operator BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. recently filed with regulators to return to the public market, despite a downturn in the retail sector. The company, which was taken private in 2011 for $2.8 billion by private equity firms Leonard Green & Partners LP and CVC Capital Partners Ltd., will list on
ARLINGTON, Va. — Lidl U.S. has a new president and chief executive officer — Johannes Fieber was appointed last month to oversee the German company’s expansion in the United States. Fieber, a 10-year Lidl veteran who previously served as CEO of Lidl Sweden, succeeds Brendan Proctor, who had been in charge of U.S. operations since
CINCINNATI — Kroger Co. rolled out a new consumer packaged goods search service that connects its acumen in data and personalization. The self-service marketing platform, called Boosted Products in Search, allows CPG brands to reach digitally savvy shoppers with “hyper-relevant” products in search results across Kroger digital properties, as well as view performance in real
CHICAGO — While online shopping is almost universal in the U.S., more than half (53%) of Americans are concerned about the safety of products bought online, according to new research from Mintel. The study revealed that young consumers are exercising the greatest caution when shopping online, with almost two-thirds (63%) of 18- to 24-year-olds expressing
Anyone who questions whether the primary battleground for the world’s top retailers has shifted from brick-and-mortar stores to the omnichannel realm would do well to consider the series of significant developments that has unfolded in recent weeks. The lead story in the last edition of Mass Market Retailers was about Walmart’s $16 billion investment for
The National Retail Federation is once again using a funny TV commercial in an effort to send a serious message. Last year the trade group had a hit with what looked like one of those late-night commercials for dubious products. The commercial, which ran during the Fox News Channel’s “FOX & Friends,” and during NBC’s