Walmart

Autumn marks the arrival of flu season, and this year, in addition to the flu bugs that typically strike, Americans have the H1N1 virus to worry about.

Walgreens chief innovation officer Colin Watts was in town last week to host a jury preview of the upcoming Product of the Year awards, an annual consumer-driven competition.

Walmart, Kroger, Target, Safeway, Publix and Wegmans were cited as consistent top performers in the eyes of their trading partners since 1997, according to results of Cannondale Associates’ annual PoweRanking Study.

Clorox and Wal-Mart are top-of-mind when consumers think of green companies -- ranking far beyond even such Earth-friendly companies as Whole Foods Market, according to a new monthly tracking service from Oakland, Calif.-based Greener World Media.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. last week took the wraps off its worldwide plans for store and club growth next year at its annual conference for the investment community, and updated its projections for capital expenditures through the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2011.

In tandem with a pledge to continue pursuing aggressive growth, leveraging global scale and expenses, and improving the returns of each operating segment to further enhance shareholder value during the 16th annual Meeting for the Investment Community, top leaders from Walmart yesterday announced a plan to offer deep-savings events and new everyday low prices weekly on thousands of items, effective immediately through the holiday period.

Male consumers are continuing to invest in their personal hygiene, according to recent research.

Walmart is recruiting a new team of managers and buyers that will focus exclusively on its smaller-format Neighborhood Markets, according to a published report.