Walmart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. second quarter earnings surpassed analysts' expectations but same store sales declined 1.2 percent vs. a 4.3 percent gain a year earlier, prompting it to take a conservative outlook for the third quarter same store sales expectations of 2 percent.

The more than 350 attendees at the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit gathered for the second day in Las Vegas to examine what effects the recession has had on Hispanic consumers and their shopping habits.

Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is surveying potential store locations in New York, according to Crainsnewyork.com. After renouncing the initiative several years ago, due to opposition from labor unions and surrounding communities, the company now feels that the current economic recession has provided a unique opportunity to expand into the city.

Advertisers are aiming to reach the value-minded consumer with creative advertising executions that deliver recession-themed messaging. Nielsen IAG examined 67 value-themed ads across 11 national advertisers and found that breakthrough retention rates were not as expected.

Thanks to the consciousness-raising film “An Inconvenient Truth” and the Live Earth concert series, global awareness of environmental issues has increased, prompting attitudinal changes, but consumer behavior at retail is changing more slowly. In many cases, “green” concerns are the unwitting beneficiaries of tough financial times as people drive less and rediscover the versatility of leftovers.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Beltsville, Md.-based solar energy services provider SunEdison have teamed up to launch rooftop solar systems at five Walmart Puerto Rico locations over the next five years.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Partnership has released its latest ranking of top green power purchasers.

The middle of summer marks the beginning of the back-to-school (BTS) season, as parents and kids across the country start to prepare to return to classrooms in late August and early September. The excitement of school starting isn’t just felt by the kids -- retailers also look forward to the season, as it’s an incredibly important time for the $2.5 billion office/school supplies category. Additionally, with the economy mired in a steep recession this season, the BTS season will be closely watched for signs of a recovery in spending. Half of annual unit sales of some related products occur during the BTS period, accounting for 36 percent to 38 percent of annual revenue.