Walmart news 

Walmart stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this year. The day which falls immediately ahead of Black Friday is viewed as the official start of the holiday season and one of the retailer’s major trading opportunities. Bonus payment The announcement was made as Walmart detailed the payment of special bonus pay out to employees for their efforts in supporting customers during the COVID-...

We look at Walmart Canada’s $3.5bn investment plan, the programmes its drawing on from the US and what it means for the business. Plans shaped by new CEO The retailer’s five-year plan to invest $3.5bn its stores, supply chain and technology comes nine months after the appointment of Horacio Barbeito as the retailer’s new president and CEO. He joined the retailer having held leadership roles...

We look at how retailers are adapting to the easing of lockdown restrictions in Canada, in-store and through their ecommerce platforms. Most provinces are making solid progress through the different phases of their re-start plans. We look at how retailers in BC are adapting, with the province recently moving into phase three of its four-phase re-start plan. Phased re-start plan As one of Ca...

As coronavirus cases spike in the US, several major US retailers will require shoppers to wear face masks. We look at what this means in terms of the intensity of the coronavirus pandemic in the the country. Bringing consistency across their operations Following Walmart's annoncement earlier in the week, several other US retailers have announced face mask mandates, including Kroger and Albe...

We look at three new initiatives from Walmart, arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and consider what they mean for its longer-term strategy. 1. New cashier-free model Updating on an initiative which launched last month, Walmart has shared more details on its cashier-free test in Fayetteville, USA . The retailer has adopted a unique layout in the checkout area, removing the traditiona...

The retailer announced the opening of its 27th store last week. It is Sam Club’s second store in the city of Ningbo, demonstrating the retailer’s commitment and confidence in its development plan in China. Pleasant shopping environment Same as other Sam’s Club stores, this new store has spacious environment. Aisles are nine metres high and three metres wide. Shopping carts with two child ...

South Africa-based, Walmart-owned Massmart has released a trading update for the 23-week period ending 7 June. In it the retailer underlined the challenging market conditions it has operated in and which continue to affect its performance. Total sales fall by 10.3% Massmart reported total sales of ZAR34.8 bn (US$2.0 bn). During the 23-week period total sales fell by 10.3%, while comparable ...

Walmart has acquired the technology platform, patents and key intellectual property of CareZone, a health-tech startup which helps individuals manage their medications. Improving access to healthcare services CareZone was developed to help users organise their health information and access health services. Through a mobile app, users can scan their insurance cards and product labels to bett...

Walmart has converted a large-format Supercenter to self-checkout only. Supporting a safe shopping environment Fox Business reports that Walmart has converted a store in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to self-checkout as part of a test to determine if the change will provide a safer experience for shoppers. As part of retailers’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, we identified providing a safe s...

Walmart is partnering with Shopify to open the Walmart Marketplace to its sellers. Leading platform enabling sellers to move online Shopify has emerged as one of the leading ecommerce companies enabling sellers to develop an online presence through providing them with a platform and relevant services. The Shopify platform powers over 1m business across 175 countries, including smaller, indi...