Walmart

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Leaders of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 951 based here are praising recently introduced legislation to restrict industrial banks, including one proposed by retail giant Wal-Mart, from opening branches in Michigan.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Wegmans Food Markets Inc. will be opening three supermarkets in the greater Philadelphia area, according to a local published report. The Northeast upscale retailer's Mount Laurel, N.J. store opened yesterday, while its Cherry Hill, N.J. location will debut in June and a Warrington, Pa. market will bow in December. Wegmans' earlier Philadelphia-area store, in Downington, Pa., opened in 2003.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- In celebration of National Frozen Food Month in March, Wal-Mart supercenters across the country shared the National Frozen Food Association's "Warm Up to Frozen" message on Saturday by offering a calendar, tied to the upcoming 20th Century Fox release "Ice Age: The Meltdown," that features frozen food tips and vendor information.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart's going to California to celebrate the opening of its newest supercenter with a concert, and everyone's invited. Pop artist Ryan Cabrera will perform live on Saturday, March 18 at 4 p.m. from the parking lot of what will be the chain's 2000th supercenter in Beaumont, Calif.

WASHINGTON -- The AFL-CIO issued a report this week claiming that Wal-Mart employees in at least 19 states are relying on government health-care assistance.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and the Trailer Fleet Services division of GE Equipment Services yesterday formed an agreement in which GE will supply Wal-Mart with trailer-tracking technology for its fleet of 46,000 over-the-road trailers.

SAN ANTONIO -- Charles Butt, the chairman and c.e.o. of H.E. Butt Grocery Co. here, is the world's 350th wealthiest billionaire, according to Forbes magazine's 2006 list of the world's richest people. Butt, who inherited much of his wealth, according to the magazine, is estimated to have a net worth of $2.2 billion.

NEW YORK -- Whole Foods, take note: An extensive organics program is part of a large-scale strategy for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to become more upscale and more diverse in its appeal, said the new senior vice president of marketing at the mega-chain, who spoke to investors yesterday at a conference hosted by Bear Stearns.