Walmart

MIAMI -- In a presentation here on Tuesday, Wal-Mart vice chairman John Menzer outlined the retailer's plans to open more than 1,500 stores in the United States in the coming years. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. currently operates nearly 3,200 stores in the United States.

CARLISLE, Pa. -- With one-stop shopping quickly becoming a growing trend, Giant Food Stores here and its Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops Markets sister division are embarking on two new ways to add even greater value for customers: a new "Guaranteed Value" grocery and household product line and a new "Your Neighborhood Drugstore," concept for its heath and beauty care and sundries categories.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), a retail trade group here representing companies that operate more than 100,000 stores, yesterday filed suits challenging the so-called "Wal-Mart law" and another health care law, arguing that they "unlawfully mandate a specific health care expenditure, single out the retail industry, and threaten to eliminate the flexibility that businesses require to meet the needs of their diverse workforce." The lawsuits were filed in U.S. District Courts in Baltimore and Brooklyn, N.Y.

HAMDEN, Conn. -- Slightly more than half of New York City residents would like a Wal-Mart in their neighborhood, according to a new poll of 1,072 registered voters conducted by Quinnipiac University here. The survey found that 51 percent of New Yorkers in favor, 37 percent against, and 11 percent undecided.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart here said plans to purchase all of its wild-caught fresh and frozen fish for the North American market from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fisheries within the next three to five years, as part of a commitment to offering sustainable products at affordable prices to its customers.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. yesterday reported a 4.7 percent gain in monthly same-store sales -- its best results so far for the fiscal year. The retailer said food sales have outpaced those of non-food products in its stores. Total sales were up 14 percent to $22.68 billion, which it attributed to a record 69 new stores and clubs opened during one month.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- WakeUpWalMart.com, the organized labor-led movement that considers itself "America's campaign to change Wal-Mart," launched a new online campaign calling on chain and President George Bush to stop supporting health savings accounts.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. said yesterday it will host a series of in-store events and activities in celebration of Black History Month 2006, which began yesterday. The company also stressed that it celebrates diversity every day of the year.