Walmart

LONDON - British supermarket group Asda said today it will lobby the UK to allow more competition in the pharmacy industry, potentially saving consumers 420 million pounds ($600 million) a year, Reuters reports.

Maximize operational efficiency, consumer value, and employee satisfaction. That's all the Niemanns did in opening 22 successful new stores in the last three years. Simple, right?

MINNEAPOLIS - As the mass-merchandising industry begins to mature, the channel's focus on food as a vehicle for growth is resulting in supercenters that are beginning to look like conventional grocery stores, says U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Senior Food Processing and Distribution Analyst George Dahlman.

WASHINGTON - Some of the nation's largest employers including Wal-Mart joined a group of governors on Monday in urging Congress to close loopholes used by big drug companies to delay generics from reaching pharmacy shelves, Newark, New Jersey's Star-Ledger newspaper reports.

MONROE, N.Y. - Executives at Wal-Mart are beginning to target more affluent shoppers looking for bargains, The New York Times reports.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. today reported a 9.5 percent rise in earnings for its fourth fiscal quarter, The Associated Press reports.

WEST YORKSHIRE, United Kingdom - Asda has become the first UK retailer to abandon paper gift vouchers, replacing them in all 250 stores with electronic gift cards.

NEW YORK - U.S. discount chains, led by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., boosted January retail sales above year-earlier levels, Reuters reports.