Walmart

WILMINGTON, Del. - Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang are joining forces with the world's biggest retailer this Halloween season to encourage children to treat themselves to good health by eating a colorful variety of at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

BOISE, Idaho - Albertsons, Inc. has informed employees in its Dallas/Ft. Worth division that thousands of full-time workers' hours will be reduced to part-time as the chain fights Wal-Mart to regain the No. 1 position in the market.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has unveiled its strategy for store growth for the fiscal year beginning Feb. 1, 2005. The company's current expansion plans are in line with its aggressive growth strategy in recent years.

TOKYO - Aeon Co. Ltd., Asia's biggest retailer, said yesterday that it intends to open more Wal-Mart-style supercenters, starting in 2006, due to the store's growing popularity with value-minded Japanese consumers.

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Local shopper Nell Ann Massion won $1 million in the Bashas' Supermarket summer sweepstakes late last week, which would normally be the occasion for a brief photo op in the area press, except for one thing: The Green Valley, Ariz. resident just happens to be an employee of Bashas' arch-rival, Wal-Mart.

In the ongoing struggle against Wal-Mart, limited-assortment stores can provide myriad opportunities for creative retailers.

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge's ruling that discovery in the sex discrimination suit against Wal-Mart Stores will pause until an appeal of the class certification is resolved could put off resolution of the case for months, according to the plaintiffs' lead attorney.

BRISBANE, Calif. -- In an unprecedented effort to communicate the facts about its business and employment practices, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. yesterday delivered an open letter to the citizens of California.