Walmart

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- The chief executive at Brazil's Bompreco supermarket chain is stepping down after only six months, as the sale of the chain, by struggling Dutch parent company Ahold NV, draws near, according to a company press release.

CHICAGO -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the world's biggest retailer, said on Wednesday its quarterly earnings rose more than 20 percent, bolstered by a recovery in its Sam's Club warehouse unit and by rapid international expansion.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Meijer Inc. and the United Food and Commercial Workers union have reached a tentative labor contract for 36,000 Michigan employees, according to local press reports.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Monday said the back-to-school shopping season was off to a good start and it was on track to meet its August sales forecast. Food was among the retailer's best-selling categories.

YONKERS, N.Y. -- To help consumers sort through the growing options and make the best grocery-shopping decisions, Consumer Reports (CR) surveyed more than 25,000 readers about their experiences at 52 chain stores.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp. warned yesterday that its quarterly earnings would miss expectations because of rising costs for everything from meat to employee health care, sending its stock down nearly 19 percent.

Undercover shoppers from Service Intelligence visited more than 1,400 supermarkets. What they found demonstrates the importance of performance measures.

Contra Costa, Calif. -- A referendum supporting large-scale supermarkets in unincorporated Contra Costa County has qualified for the ballot, elections officials say.