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At stake is the role of a wide spectrum of players, from fintech firms to card companies and established banks. Walmart's Fintech startup One is now offering BNPL loans in Secaucus, New Jersey. Buy now, pay later has gained popularity with consumers for everyday items as well as larger purchases. A Capital One Walmart credit card sign is seen at a store in Mountain View, California, United States on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Meanwhile, Walmart said last year when its lawsuit became public that it would soon announce a new credit card option with "meaningful benefits and rewards."

Persons: Joe Raedle, Goldman Sachs, Omer Ismail, Hugh Son, BNPL, Jason Mikula, Amazon's, Karma, John Furner, John David Rainey, Dot, " Rainey, Rainey, Morgan Stanley, Walmart's, Yichuan Cao Organizations: Walmart, Getty, CNBC, New Jersey Walmart, Apple, Electronics, Adobe Analytics, Bank of Walmart, Robinhood, Walmart U.S, Coastal Community Bank, Capital, PayPal Locations: Hallandale Beach , Florida, Bentonville , Arkansas, Manhattan, Secaucus , New Jersey, New Jersey, U.S, Mountain View , California, United States

☆ It looks like high-income shoppers are becoming increasingly loyal to Walmart
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Walmart is cutting prices on essentials like eggs and breadInflation has cooled in recent months after soaring during the pandemic. "Some of this is the result of customer acquisition becoming more modest, and some is because of the continued financial pressure on core Walmart shoppers which is seeing them cut back on non-essential spending," he wrote. Saunders noted that lower levels of inflation would make it harder for Walmart to acquire new customers. "This essentially puts Walmart in the position of having to work far harder and more creatively to generate growth," he wrote.

Persons: Walmart's, —, John David Rainey, Rainey, Neil Saunders, Saunders, Doug McMillon, McMillon, John Furner, Furner Organizations: Walmart, Service, GlobalData, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Shoppers

☆ What Walmart’s new focus on employee stock could mean for the wealth of the average American household
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Walmart is offering its store managers stock grants, which based on a manager's store format, can range between $10,000 and $20,000. It's not only managers that Walmart wants to encourage to buy into stock ownership. 1 employer, Walmart's decisions are likely to have significant ripple effects and could even lead to broader equity ownership among rank-and-file employees. Already companies such as Ingersoll Rand and Harley-Davidson have taken steps to broaden stock ownership to employees. "Stock ownership is a pillar of worker financial wellness."

Persons: John David Rainey, Chris Taylor, It's, John Furner, Doug McMillon, Biden, Marc Roloson, Aalap Shah, Pearl Meyer, Shah, Brian J, Albert H, Gordon, Stacey Kole, Ed Rataj, Michael Kestenbaum, Gallagher, Peter Follows, Kole, Ingersoll Rand, Davidson, Martin Whitman, Whitman, Pete Stavros's, Walmart's, Harvard's, WTW's Roloson Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Walmart, International, NYSE, LinkedIn, Companies, Business Administration, Harvard Business School, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, CBIZ, Carpedia, Harley, Just Locations: U.S

☆ Walmart plans to add more than 150 large-format stores across the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An exterior view of a closing Walmart store in Everett. A Walmart store in Everett, Washington, announced its closure and is currently in a liquidation sale. The company plans to build or convert more than 150 large-format stores over the next five years, it said Wednesday. About 90% of the U.S. population already lives with 10 miles of a Walmart store. Walmart's store expansion was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Persons: Josh Havens, John Furner Organizations: Walmart, Sam's, U.S, Walmart U.S, Wall Street Locations: Everett, Everett , Washington, U.S

☆ Walmart store managers will receive up to $20,000 per year in company stock
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart store managers are set to receive annual stock grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000. AdvertisementIt's a good year to be a store manager at Walmart. Fresh off the announcement earlier this month of substantial pay and bonus increases, the company said Monday that it is adding annual stock grants of up to $20,000 to the store managers' compensation packages. AdvertisementThe amount of the grant will depend on the size of the store, with $10,000 for Hometown store managers, $15,000 for Neighborhood Market or Division 1 store managers, and $20,000 for Supercenter managers. Roughly three-quarters of Walmart store managers started off in hourly roles, and the company does not require a college degree to be considered for the job.

Persons: —, John Furner, Furner Organizations: Walmart, Service, Walmart's, LinkedIn, Hometown, Neighborhood Market Locations: Houston , Texas

Walmart said it hasn't made any changes to store managers' pay structure in more than a decade. U.S. managers of the sprawling supercenters, which run about 180,000 square feet, will receive $20,000 in stock grants. Walmart said the stock grants will vest over a three-year period, with ownership for one-twelfth of the grant total coming every quarter. The new starting annual base salary for U.S. store managers will range from $90,000 to $170,000. That means that the average base pay for store leaders will go to $128,000 from $117,000, according to Cedric Clark, executive vice president of store operations at Walmart’s U.S. division.

Persons: hasn't, ”, John Furner, Furner, Cedric Clark Organizations: Walmart, U.S, Hometown, Walmart U.S, Walmart’s U.S Locations: Bentonville , Arkansas, U.S

☆ Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff tells retail workers: AI won't steal your job. It can make you better at it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Generative artificial intelligence won't take jobs from retail workers; instead, it will make them better at their jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff told attendees at the National Retail Federation's annual conference in New York last week. They're not going to need as many agents," Benioff said. The system was able to augment those agents and make them better," Benioff said. With generative AI, he added, Gucci had taken its customer service agents to "a whole other level." "They're pretty incredible people, using generative AI for the first time," Benioff said.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Benioff, NRF, John Furner, Loro Piana, Gucci —, They're, That's, bam, Gucci Organizations: Business, Walmart, LVMH, Gucci, Kering Locations: New York, Italy

☆ What’s open and closed on Thanksgiving Day 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Thanksgiving Day has looked different in recent years. Sights of people lining up at 5 pm Thanksgiving Day at large retailers to catch Black Friday deals are rare since the onset of the pandemic. Here’s what’s open and closed on Thanksgiving Day 2023. RetailTarget is closed on Thanksgiving Day. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty ImagesPharmaciesMost Walgreens locations will be closed, marking the first time the pharmacy chain has closed stores on Thanksgiving day, it said.

Persons: Here’s, “, Brian Cornell, We’ll, John Furner, Nordstrom, Brendan Smialowski, Tom Thumb, Kroger, Felix Mizioznikov, – CNN’s Jennifer Korn Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walmart, NBC, CVS, Getty, Walgreens, CVS Health, ., Aid, Foods, Albertsons, Safeway, Aldi, Costco, Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange, UPS, FedEx Locations: New York, Washington ,, AFP, Brenham , TX, USA, Texas, Alamy

☆ Branding’s corporate titans face moment of truth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Now for the first time this century, sales volumes at the big consumer goods manufacturers are falling. In the first nine months of the year, Kraft Heinz said the quantity of its sold items declined by nearly 6 percentage points year-on-year. That’s likely to allow Nestlé, Kraft Heinz and Unilever to see flat or modest increases in 2023 sales, LSEG data shows. Earlier this year, outgoing Kraft Heinz Chief Executive Miguel Patricio said the company lost market share to a branded competitor that spent more. Unilever, Nestlé and Kraft Heinz have all pointed to a slowing of price growth in the coming year.

Persons: Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, ’, Xavier Roger, Kraft, what’s, John Furner, Miguel Patricio, Mars, ”, François, EY, George Hay, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Consumer, Kraft, Unilever, Danone, ’, United Nations, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Nestlé, Kraft Heinz, Target, Reuters Graphics, Obesity, Mondelez, Walmart, “, Thomson Locations: U.S, Europe, Australia, Norway, Chocolat, London

Analysts attended earnings calls in the third quarter armed with questions for healthcare and consumer companies about the potential effect on their sales from the growing popularity of these drugs, known as GLP-1 agonists. A Reuters analysis of earnings transcripts for the third quarter showed "GLP-1" or alternatives like "obesity" or "weight-loss medications" were mentioned 256 times across 29 U.S. and European healthcare and consumer companies. That's more than double the mentions for the second quarter, when those phrases came up 127 times. While some consumer companies have talked about factors such as fewer calories being consumed, "these kind of large extrapolations" seem to be a bit of a stretch, said BMO Capital analyst Evan Seigerman. For big pharma manufacturers like Pfizer (PFE.N) and Amgen (AMGN.O), analyst questions were aimed at their obesity drug candidates.

Persons: Lilly, George Frey, Jeff Jonas, it's, Eli Lilly's, John Furner, Mondelez, Eli Lilly, Evan Seigerman, LVMH, Rajesh Kumar, Jonas, Bhanvi Satija, Savyata Mishra, Arpan Varghese, David Gaffen, Shounak Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Gabelli, Novo, Walmart, Walmart U.S, Hershey, Truist Securities, Krispy, BMO Capital, Danish, pharma, Pfizer, Devices, HSBC, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, United States, Novo, Bengaluru

☆ Walmart wants to lower your grocery bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The company said it hopes falling food prices will free up shoppers' wallets to buy other merchandise. AdvertisementJust as inflation refers to rising prices, "deflation" refers to prices falling — and even though it may help consumers, it presents a surprisingly tricky challenge for businesses and policymakers. In contrast to periods of rising inflation in which corporate profit margins typically grow, deflation tends to squeeze companies in a few ways. AdvertisementThe upside of falling food prices for Walmart — more than say Kroger or Albertsons — is that Walmart sells a whole lot more than groceries. "If the food prices come down," McMillon said, "that'll free up dollars to be spent in general merchandise."

Persons: —, Doug McMillon, it's, McMillon, John Furner Organizations: Walmart, Service, Rabo Research, Albertsons

☆ Walmart to upgrade 1,400 stores with $9 billion investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Siddharth Cavale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

On Friday, 117 stores in 30 states will be re-launched showcasing the enhancements, representing investments of more than $500 million, Walmart said in a statement. In total, it plans to modernize more than 1,400 of its 4,717 Walmart stores across the country. As part of those efforts, the company tested some remodeled concept stores called "Stores of the Future" at a few Walmart Supercenters, including Teterboro in New Jersey, earlier this year. Monday's investments mark the national rollout of that concept, a Walmart spokesperson said. The enhanced stores will have refreshed interiors and exteriors, with new paint, updated flooring, modernized restrooms, LED-lighting and new signage for brighter and easier navigation through the stores, the company said.

Persons: John Furner, Siddharth Cavale, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Investment, Walmart, Sam's, Thomson Locations: Bentonville , Arkansas, New Jersey, New York

☆ Walmart says customers on Ozempic are actually spending more money overall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Gloria Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart told the analysts the small group of known customers who take the drugs spend more overall. AdvertisementAdvertisementWalmart is trying to clarify the impact weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are actually having on its bottom line. AdvertisementAdvertisementBut speaking to Morgan Stanley analysts, Walmart has clarified "two potential misconceptions," the analysts wrote. But, within this group, Walmart observed these customers were spending slightly less on food year over year. In aggregate, GLP-1 spending changes are not moving the needle for Walmart's total business, the authors write.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, —, John Furner, Furner, hasn't, Rice Krispies Organizations: Walmart, Service, Bloomberg

☆ Nestle shares at two-year low as investors weigh Wegovy rollout
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Photo Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 6 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) shares were under pressure on Friday as investors weighed the potential impact of Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) blockbuster weight-losing drug Wegovy and how it could reduce spending on food. The KitKat and Nescafe coffee maker's shares were down 2% and headed for their lowest level in more than two years. However, Cox does not regard this as a substantial risk to Nestle and the broader food industry in the long term. Bruno Monteyne from Bernstein also pointed to the Wegovy impact, but saw little logic in the sell-off. "Danone sells water, baby milk powder, and yogurt: not sure how those would be negatively impacted by GLP1 / Wegovy?"

Persons: Kat, Hannah McKay, Wegovy, Peers, Kepler Cheuvreux, Jon Cox, John Furner, Cox, Bruno Monteyne, Bernstein, Andrey Sychev, John Revill, Mark Potter Organizations: Nestle, REUTERS, Peers Danone, Unilever, Kepler, Bloomberg, Danone, Health, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, U.S

☆ Food retailers and producers are getting slammed as GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic raise growing alarms about demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The rise of GLP-1 drugs is driving consumer-staple stocks lower as patients eat less food. Walmart's US CEO said he'd already seen patients using GLP-1 drugs buy less food at the retailer. AdvertisementAdvertisementConsumer-staple stocks have been slammed this week as investors try to size up the negative impact GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro could have on food companies. And through its pharmacy unit, the company can use anonymized data to analyze the spending habits of its customers that are taking GLP-1 drugs. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn a Friday note, Bank of America estimated that GLP-1 drugs could quell addictive behaviors among consumers, which could lead to an overall decline in consumption of snacks and beverages.

Persons: he'd, —, McDonald's, John Furner, Jeff Johnson, Baird, Morgan Stanley Organizations: PepsiCo, Coca, Cola, Walmart, Costco, Service, Bloomberg, Bank of America Locations: GLP

☆ Ozempic isn't the existential threat food companies think it is — yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Food companies fear soaring Ozempic sales could hurt their bottom lines. AdvertisementAdvertisementExecutives at America's biggest food companies can't stop talking about Ozempic . And early data suggests that Ozempic sales will have some impact on the food industry. AdvertisementAdvertisementFor example, if consumers begin to prefer smaller portions, food companies have time to adjust their package sizes, and restaurants have time to modify their menus. "This is not an existential threat to the food industry," he said.

Persons: —, Doug McMillon, Arun Sundaram, Morgan Stanley, Walmart's John Furner, Steve Cahillane, Rice Krispies, Jefferies, Sundaram, David M, Gordon, Ozempic Organizations: Service, America's, Nordisk, North, Walmart, Bloomberg, Wall, Cheesecake

☆ With Ozempic on the rise, food companies develop a plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“If they switch to different types of nutrients … we switch to different types of nutrients,” he said. Drugs like Ozempic could change how people eat, affecting food sellers. Big food companies are constantly evolving their products to adapt to consumer trends. And with wellness top of mind for many — not just people taking semaglutide drugs — companies have already tweaked their products in an effort to appeal to health-conscious consumers. “And then what is the churn rate?” To adapt to a possible shift, companies should be “planning for different scenarios,” she said.

Persons: Sean Connolly, “, ” Connolly, ” Conagra, Duncan Hines, Marie Callender’s, Jaap Arriens, ”, Bernstein, Alexia Howard, ” Howard, John Furner, Morgan Stanley, Pamela Kaufman, Ding Dongs, Mark Smucker, Jody Dushay, “ Dieticians, Deidre McPhillips Organizations: New, New York CNN, Wall Street, Healthy, PepsiCo, Coca, Walmart, Bloomberg, CNN, Companies, Brands, Harvard Medical School Locations: New York

☆ Walmart cuts starting pay for new hires who prepare online orders, stock shelves
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A worker stocks the shelves at a Walmart store on January 24, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Walmart announced that it is raising its minimum wage for store employees in early March, store employees will make between $14 and $19 an hour. Walmart has cut starting pay for new store employees who pick and pack online orders and stock shelves, raising questions of whether companies face a cooling labor market or are adjusting to a return to pre-pandemic shopping habits. New Walmart employees who join the digital or stocking teams now make about a dollar-an-hour less than they would have if hired several months ago. In a statement, Walmart said it made the change so its starting pay was consistent, whether a store employee worked at the cashier, stocked shelves or helped with online orders.

Persons: Anne Hatfield, Hatfield, John Furner, That's Organizations: Walmart, Amazon, Wall Street, Walmart U.S Locations: Miami , Florida, U.S, Target

☆ Walmart raises full-year earnings forecast as grocery, online growth fuel higher sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It said adjusted earnings per share for the year will range between $6.36 and $6.46. That compares with its prior guidance for consolidated net sales gains of 3.5% and an adjusted earnings per share range of between $6.10 and $6.20. Transactions increased by 2.9% and the average ticket rose by 3.4% for Walmart U.S.Same-store sales for Walmart U.S. grew by 6.4% in the second quarter, excluding fuel, compared with the year-ago period. Sales for Walmart Connect, the company's advertising business in the U.S., grew 36% year over year. In the grocery department at Walmart U.S., sales of private labels rose 9% year over year.

Persons: John David Rainey, Rainey, Doug McMillon, Judith McKenna, Kath McLay, Chris Nicholas, " Rainey, Walmart's, John Furner Organizations: Walmart, Walmart U.S, CNBC, Sam's, Walmart Connect Locations: U.S

☆ Walmart names insider Latriece Watkins as US merchandising chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc (WMT.N) appointed Latriece Watkins as its U.S. chief merchandising officer, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Friday, days after Charles Redfield stepped down from the role. Watkins, who joined the company 24 years ago, has served in several roles across Walmart U.S. and Sam's Club. Last month, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner wrote to associates that Redfield would step down and assume an advisory role supporting the U.S. business effective May 1. Watkins' appointment takes place at a time when consumer spending power has been reduced by high inflation, hurting Walmart's business and leading the company to adopt a cautious stance on 2023. "We have a rich history of strong leaders who embrace this constant change, set bold visions for our teams and best represent the humanity that is Walmart," Furner wrote in the memo.

☆ Walmart’s US chief marketing officer stepping down as retailer warns of tough year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Walmart’s chief merchandising officer for its US operations is stepping down from the job as the retailer faces a tougher year ahead, an internal memo shared to US associates Friday said. In a memo viewed by CNN Business, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said Redfield wants to spend more time with his family. Redfield held his position at the retailer for a little more than a year, beginning in January 2022. Its strong holiday sales were fueled by groceries. “There are merchants, and then there’s our Chief Merchandising Officer Charles Redfield,” CEO John Furner said in a memo viewed by CNN Business.

☆ Walmart US merchandising chief Redfield to step down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 14 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc (WMT.N) U.S. chief merchandising officer Charles Redfield is stepping down after just over a year in the role, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Friday, at a time the retailer is navigating a tightening spending environment. Redfield will assume an advisory role supporting the U.S. business effective May 1, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner wrote in a memo to US-based associates on Friday, without naming a successor. Data from the Commerce Department on Friday also showed U.S. retail sales fell more than expected in March. Redfield started his Walmart career as a cashier at Sam's Club and has been with the company for 32 years. He had led the U.S. food and grocery business since 2015 prior to taking up his role as chief merchandising officer.

☆ Walmart Shakes Up U.S. Leadership Ranks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Sarah Nassauer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Walmart is the country’s largest retailer by revenue. Walmart Inc. is shuffling the leadership of its merchandising ranks, according to a document viewed by The Wall Street Journal, a shift at the country’s largest retailer as it works to navigate an unpredictable consumer landscape. Charles Redfield , who became chief merchandising officer last year, will leave the role May 1 and stay on as an adviser, said John Furner , who leads Walmart ’s U.S. operations, in a memo to staff Friday.

☆ Walmart's chief merchandising officer to depart as retailer navigates tough sales environment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Walmart Chief Merchandising Officer Charles Redfield is stepping down next month. Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said in an employee memo on Friday that Redfield will leave the role on May 1. He will stay on as an advisor for the business. The Wall Street Journal first reported Redfield's departure. Redfield's replacement has not yet been announced, a company spokesman said.

☆ Walmart's US CEO tells workers not to worry about their jobs despite announcing a major push into store automation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

More specifically, one area where Walmart is seeking to increase investment is in market fulfillment centers (MFCs), which are automated fulfillment centers built within, or added to, a store. Walmart piloted this concept at a store in Salem, New Jersey, in 2019, using automated robot technology from Alert Innovation — a robotics company Walmart acquired in October 2022. Those include "manual MFCs," where associates pick items for online orders but in a separate area from the sales floor. Walmart will still need at least the same level of workers to help in stores even as automation picks up, company leaders say. Still, Walmart is laying off workers at fulfillment centers nationwide.

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