Walmart news 

In its Q3 2023 results (summary below) Walmart reported solid ecommerce growth in the US: 24% for Walmart, 16% for Sam’s Club. Omnichannel services including pickup and store fulfilled delivery have played a major contributing factor to driving strong growth, which has been seen across both its third- and first-party offer. Retailers remain laser-focussed on how to grow sales in the online cha...

Creating a truly inclusive shopping experience is paramount for retailers to offer the best service to their shoppers. In this article we examine initiatives from around the world, including sensory-friendly environments, redesigns to cater to physical disabilities, and offering child- and pet-friendly solutions. Creating an environment that is sensory-friendly - Michela Kerbaker, Insight Anal...

Following meetings with Canada’s leading grocers and food manufacturers, the government has outlined five steps it will be taking to stabilise food prices, including securing commitments from the leading five chains for aggressive discounts and price freezes. Is this likely to be effective and what other measures are being taken? Grocery retailers’ commitments Canada's major grocery chains ...

I've recently spen time in US grocery stores to see first-hand how retailers in Dallas and Bentonville are bringing their strategic priorities to life. Across the week I spent there, I saw around 40 stores and noticed a lot of similarities across them, ranging from off-fixture displays to food for now options, to healthcare facilities and more. Here are 8 key takeaways from my week of store vi...

With Canadian immigration hitting record levels this year, we look at how leading retailers continue to adapt their offers to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population. Record high immigration powering population growth Canada’s population over the last year has grown by over 1m people, reaching a record 40.1m in July. This is the highest rate of growth since 1957 and reflects gove...

At the recent Groceryshop event in Las Vegas, amid discussions on cutting-edge tech like AI, retail media, and unified commerce, the spotlight was also on the important theme of alternative revenue models. Let's delve deeper into this transformation. Broadening revenue horizons When we discuss alternative revenue models, we're essentially exploring new revenue sources that retailers are bei...

The CEOs of five of Canada’s leading grocery retailers, Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, Walmart and Costco have met with the country’s government as it focuses on solutions to bring down food prices. Prime Minister invitation The CEOs were invited to the meeting last week by the Prime Minister. It was led by Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, and Industry Minister, François-Philippe Champagne. Foo...

Walmart has launched a Generative AI-powered feature, My Assistant, to its home office associates in the US. The launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI last November has popularised the technology and led to a wave of new developments in our industry. Multiple use cases My Assistant has been developed to free up teams from undertaking monotonous and repetitive tasks. Walmart sees significant potential...

Walmart Canada has opened a new Supercentre in Montreal, it’s most sustainable store to date. We look inside this store which also showcases the retailer’s latest design concept. Sustainability features The store is located in Marché Central, Montreal, one of Canada’s top-performing retail destinations and the city’s premier value shopping centres. The $20m investment has been designed to s...

Walmart reported ‘better-than-expected’ results in sales, operating income and adjusted EPS in the second quarter. Off the back of this, it has increased its full-year guidance. Here we delve into those numbers and explore the latest updates to its strategy.   Key numbers Q4 total revenue increased by 5.7% to $161.6 bn Sales in US stores grew by 5.4% (net), with Sam’s Club up 5.3% (...