Comag Marketing Group, LLC » Wal-Mart

A Glimmer: Retail Sales Inch Up in April

Jennifer — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:10:31 +0000

Wal-Mart swung what would have been a year-over-year loss for the month to a gain of 1.2%, but other retailers reported improvements (either increases or signs of steadying sales). The New York Times May 7, 2009

Retailers Report August Declines in Same-Store Sales

Jennifer — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:58:02 +0000

Costco Wholesale Corporation and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., bucked the trend with August same-store sales gains of 9 percent and 3 percent, respectively. The New York Times (Sept. 4, 2008)

Wal-Mart Calls for “Bottom Up” Magazine Wholesaler Allotments

Jennifer — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:10:59 +0000

July 22, 2008 — Wal-Mart called for rigorous, “bottom up” distribution practices as a key means of achieving its 50-percent efficiency goal for the magazine category in a memorandum sent to single copy supply chain partners last Friday. The memo appears in its entirety below.

To: All National Distributors and Publishers

From Christy Jenkins

Subject: Magazine Bottom Up Distribution

As many of you are aware Wal-Mart has a major Sustainability project underway to eliminate waste by improved efficiency. One of the projects we have focused on to assist in achieving our 50 efficiency goal is bottom up distribution. This process utilizes individual store specific sales information based on consumer demand to determine inventory needs by store which then rolls up to allotment needs by wholesaler to the DC level.

This project can only be successful if all parties throughout the channel support the initiative. Wholesaler allotments need to be adjusted to reflect our true needs not the prorated portion of copies printed. In the true spirit of sustainability we hope these copies would be completely eliminated from your print order and distribution channel.

Please support us and the environment as we move forward in this initiative.

7/18/2008

Wal-Mart’s Marketside Stores To Open In Fall

Jennifer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:13:26 +0000

Wal-Mart Store Inc has plans to open four Marketside stores in the Phoenix area, as part of its small, community grocery store concept. The stores will feature a wide selection of meal solutions and fresh ingredients, to compete with Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets, opened by Tesco in the U.S. market late last year. Reuters (June 25, 2008)

Wal-Mart Aids Local Newspapers In Fight Against Craigslist

Greg — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:05:16 +0000

Wal-Mart.com has recently launched a new section to their website called Wal-Mart Classifieds and it could be exactly what local newspapers need to compete with Craigslist.com. Unlike Craiglist, searches on Wal-Mart Classified will reveal ads and listings from a wide array of sources, including local newspapers that make themselves available to Wal-Mart’s network. Local newspapers are hoping that this will spark a renaissance in buying classified ads in newspapers, as they will now be readily accessible on a large, internet database. Slate (June 3, 2008)

Discounters Do Well in April

Jennifer — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:22:22 +0000

Profits rose 7 percent at Wal-Mart Stores during the month, and were up 20 percent at TJX Companies, operators of discount clothing chains Marshalls and T.J. Maxx. Department stores, by contrast, are expected to report first-quarter earnings declines this week, and some luxury stores are increasing the use of discounts. The New York Times (May 14, 2008)

Discounters’ April Sales Beat Expectations

Jennifer — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:22:13 +0000

As shoppers looked for bargains, both Wal-Mart and Costco turned in April sales that beat analysts’ expectations. Sales at Wal-Mart locations open at least a year were up 3.2% in April, while Costco’s sales advanced by 8%. Sales at mall stores like the Gap were generally down. As one observer put it, “If you didn’t have a sale, you didn’t have customers.” The New York Times (May 9, 2008)

Retail Hits the Brakes on Expansion

Jennifer — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:48:23 +0000

The International Council of Shopping Centers predicts 5,770 store closings this year, which would mark a year-over-year of 25 percent. Included in the group will be: Starbucks, Foot Locker, Pacific Sunwear, Ann Taylor and Zales, which plan to close more than 1,200 store locations, combined. Other retailers, not planning closures, are scaling back on expansion and delaying new openings. Wal-Mart is in this group. One observer summed up current retail conditions this way, “It’s no secret that America is over-stored.” The New York Times (May 2, 2008)

Wal-Mart Launches Canopy Line of Home Furnishings

Jennifer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:57:08 +0000

Bedding, bath accessories, dinnerware and furniture will be available — all at prices up to 40% below competitors.’ The Wall Street Journal (Mar. 5, 2008) Paid subscription may be required.

Wal-Mart Buyers Blog about Products (and Personal Lives)

Jennifer — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:47:21 +0000

After several attempts at corporate blogs bogged down when the posts read like boilerplate from Wal-Mart’s PR department, the retail giant may have found success. Bentonville has unleashed its buying staff to write about their pets, passions, reading lists and products, of course – and all without regular, formal review. Computers and consumer electronics get the bulk of attention, since gadget geeks make a habit of scouring the web for product reviews. The effort may carry some risk; Microsoft Vista was recently panned by the PC buyer, for instance. Still, Wal-Mart believes that its latest blog, called Check Out, gives buyers opportunities to gather quick feedback on products and helps humanize the company. The New York Times (Mar. 3, 2008)