Walmart

MILWAUKEE - Customer satisfaction among Americans hit a nine-year high in 2003, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index. The score for supermarkets was slightly down, with Publix coming again once again as the top-rated food retailer.

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. on Thursday separately reported that they achieved higher fourth-quarter profits despite a tough pre-Christmas retailing environment.

PORTLAND, Ore. - A federal jury here, considering how much Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. should compensate employees who worked unpaid overtime, said yesterday that 83 workers are entitled to payments, according to an Associated Press report.

DENVER - Wal-Mart plans to test environmentally friendly technologies in two of its new supercenters, according to a report in the Denver Post.

Holiday Quality Foods, Wakefern Food Corp., and Ukrop's achieve special distinction as outstanding meat retailers.

NEW YORK - In what could be a 2004 version of "Toy Story," a group of toy manufacturers have decided to take a stand against Wal-Mart Stores by delivering fewer hot toys to the chain and having more exclusive launches at competitors, like Toys "R" Us, according to the Associated Press.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Supermarkets with annual sales of more than $1 billion are going to be spending heavily in the next two years on new point-of-sale hardware, self-checkout systems. and a new class of retail mobile devices, according to a new report from IHL Consulting Group, a leading retail analyst and consultancy firm.

BENTONVILLE, Ark.- With the recent passage of the omnibus appropriations bill that delayed mandatory country-of-origin labeling for two years, an industry report says Wal-Mart is preparing to voluntarily label fruits and vegetables in its produce departments.