Walmart

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Grocery workers at Kroger stores in West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky went on strike Monday night -- just days after Kroger clerks walked out in Southern California.

BOISE, Idaho - Albertsons Inc. laid off an undisclosed number of employees at its Boise headquarters late last week, citing an "ultra-competitive" environment and the need to lower costs, reports The Idaho Statesman.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores here said today its September sales at U.S. stores open at least a year rose a better-than-expected 6 percent, as a blast of cool weather in the final week of the period drove demand for fall merchandise.

BEIJING -- Wal-Mart has become the target of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) for refusing to establish trade unions in its branches in China, according to local reports.

LONDON - French retailing giant Carrefour on Monday said it would invest $800 million in South Korea over the next four years to better compete in one of Asia's fastest-growing retail markets, the Financial Times reports.

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Canada and GE Consumer Finance on Thursday announced they will introduce the first private-label credit card program for Wal-Mart and Sam's Club warehouse stores in Canada, according to Reuters.

BENTONVILLE, Ark.- In a renewed effort to reduce sales of tobacco to minors, Wal-Mart Stores here has agreed to adopt new procedures to ensure compliance with state and federal tobacco laws, the Associated Press reports.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the world's largest retailer, plans to open as many as 195 new stores and replace or expand another 160 in the United States next year.