Walmart

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- In the latest example of post-Katrina progress, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. here is re-opening two supercenters in New Orleans just seven months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The latest move to stop Wal-Mart from entering the banking business comes from within the supermarket industry. The National Grocers Association has submitted a statement to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), in preparation for testimony to be delivered on April 10 by Thomas F. Wenning, s.v.p. and general counsel of NGA.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Price Chopper here is closing its 20,000-square-foot Sheridan Plaza store here on April 29, apparently because of the store's inability to stock the same range of products as larger Price Choppers.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. here said Friday it's changing its application for an in-house bank to comply with federal rules that require lenders to serve low and moderate-income clients. The announcement comes just weeks before April regulatory hearings on Wal-Mart's bank application, which has drawn broad opposition.

PLOVER, Wisc. -- The National Association for Retail Marketing Services (NARMS) here said it is expecting nearly 500 attendees from around the world at its 11th annual spring conference and business meeting, to be held April 1-4 at Amelia Island Plantation in northeast Florida.

CHICAGO -- Dollar sales of cosumer packaged goods grew just 1.6 percent in 2005, an extraordinarily challenging year marked by a devastating hurricane season and uneven economy. But while industry growth was disappointing, trends across specific channels and categories were encouraging, said Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), a provider of enterprise market solutions for the CPG, retail, and healthcare industries.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart's third test supercenter opened yesterday in Plano, Texas, but rather than focusing on the earth's environment, as do the first two experimental supercenters in McKinney, Texas and Aurora, Colo., this one focuses sharply on the competitive retail environment, breaking much new ground for the traditional mega-discounter of basics.

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- A fresh foods legend has fallen on hard times severe enough to call for drastic cuts and spur rumors of an imminent demise. Intense competition has forced Larry's Markets to cut its corporate staff by 70 percent, and to bring in outside help to run the operations for the retailer's six stores.