"Why Walmart Is Betting Big On Small Stores" by Lydia Dishman at Forbes.  "Big box is so last decade. That’s why Walmart is upping the ante on its expansion efforts with smaller stores. According to Bill Simon, head of Walmart’s U.S. division who spoke on an industry conference call yesterday, “They compete really well against multiple channels,” including competitors such as Dollar General, Walgreens and supermarkets.  Simon said the company plans to add 115 new outlets that have less than 60,000-square-feet of selling space this year. Walmart’s not abandoning the big box yet. Simon says to expect 125 Supercenters to [...]

  "Google's Rumored Target and Walmart Alliance Could Scare the Prime Out of Amazon" by Louis Bedigian at Benzinga.  "Google is reportedly working on a new shopping service to take on Amazon Prime.  According to TechCrunch, the new service (which is being referred to as "Google Shopping Express") will retail at $64 or $69 a year, making it considerably cheaper than Amazon Prime, which sells for $79.99 a year. It will also provide subscribers with expedited delivery options from Target , Walmart,  Walgreens and Safeway.   Read more: https://www.benzinga.com/news/13/03/3391587/googles-rumored-target-and-walmart-alliance-could-scare-the-prime-out-of-amazon#ixzz2MlkrSH61   Walmart U.S. CEO, Bill Simon, Speaks at Raymond James Investor [...]

  Home Depot Presents at Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference (3/4/13) Presented by Home Depot's Kevin Hoffman -- President, Online Highlights: *  50% of Home Depot sales involve online properties in some shape or form *  Aim to have endless aisles *  600,000 skus online vs. 35,000 in typical store *  One in four hit website before entering store *  2% of sales come from online *  12 million visits to Home Depot website per week *  9 new Home Depot stores planned for 2013, 7 of those in Mexico *  When asked "Where are you taking market share?" responded [...]

  "Wal-Mart Anxious to Combat Amazon’s Lead in Web Vendors" by Renee Dudley at Bloomberg.  "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is “anxious” to take on Amazon.com Inc.’s Marketplace, where independent merchants sell millions of products.  According to minutes from a Feb. 1 officers meeting led by U.S. Chief Executive Officer Bill Simon, Wal-Mart considers Marketplace Amazon’s “number one weapon...Four years after starting its own version of Marketplace -- called Marketplace -- Wal-Mart has signed up six outside merchants, including one that sells sports memorabilia. Amazon has 2 million that sell everything from clothing to mobile phone cases.”  Read more:  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-04/wal-mart-anxious-to-combat-amazon-s-lead-in-web-vendors.html   "First [...]

  "2013 World's Most Admired Companies" at Fortune.  "Asked to name the best of the best, 3,800 executives, directors, and analysts chose these businesses.  Highlights: #1 - Apple #3 - Amazon #19 - Whole Foods #22 - Target #23 - Costco #27 - Walmart #45 - Home Depot See the full list:  https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/2013/list/?iid=wma_lp_toprr   "Wal-Mart Struggles to Restock Store Shelves as U.S. Sales Slump" by Renee Dudley at Bloomberg.  "Wal-Mart Stores Inc already struggling to woo shoppers constrained by higher taxes, is “getting worse” at keeping shelves stocked, the retailer’s U.S. chief told executives, according to minutes of an officers’ [...]