Walmart

BERKELEY, Calif. - California taxpayers are subsidizing Wal-Mart employees with public assistance programs to the tune of some $86 million annually, according to a report by the UC Berkeley Labor Center here.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart is launching 24-hour pharmacies at five stores, to test the concept.

WASHINGTON - Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is taking steps to ensure its future in Maryland by adamantly opposing zoning rules that have been proposed in Montgomery County.

LEEDS, England - U.K. grocer Asda yesterday introduced four new Cafedirect hot beverage lines in response to the success of this year's Fairtrade Fortnight, a two-week awareness campaign that, according to the retailer, led to a huge increase in sales of fair trade products at the its stores.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is supporting Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s fight to have a judge's order approving class-action status for a large sex-discrimination lawsuit against the retailer thrown out. The chamber, which represents U.S. businesses, filed a brief in support of Wal-Mart dated July 13, according to an Associated Press report.

LONDON - Britain's Tesco on Wednesday announced its first expansion into China via the purchase of a 50 percent stake in the Hymall chain of hypermarkets. Tesco joins other global retail contenders--including Wal-Mart, Metro, and Carrefour--seeking to capitalize on the sixth largest economy in the world.

BOULDER, Colo. - Wild Oats Markets, Inc., the nation's No. 2 natural and organic supermarket chain, will be moving into the Cincinnati market with a new store opening in the Deerfield Town Center July 21.

CINCINNATI - Hoping to strike a counter-blow against Wal-Mart and other supercenters, The Kroger Co. here is launching the Kroger Marketplace one-stop-shopping concept later this year in Columbus, Ohio.