Mass Market Retailers articles from January 2006

Mass Market Retailers archives from January 2006

Stop & shop adds WiFi.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... A Stop & Shop Cos. store that opened in Dorchester, Mass., last month is the chain's first site with free WiFi wireless Internet access. The service is available in a 34-seat area at the front of the store. The outlet also has a full-service...

Walgreens departure.(retirement of George Eilers Sr.)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Walgreen Co. senior vice president of Southern store operations George Eilers Sr. announced his retirement effective January 11. He will be replaced by Kevin Walgreen, the chain's vice president of store operations. The 65-yearold Eilers spent...

Giving shoppers a say.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Kroger Co. says that it will give bonuses to employees that meet or exceed a set of criteria that a recent survey showed that shoppers feel are important. The bonuses will be given in 2008 and 2010.

Mills fills CFO role.(appointment of David Mills)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... David Mills has been named interim chief financial officer at Duckwall-ALCO Stores Inc. after chief financial officer Richard Mansfield left the company last month. Mills, has been with Duckwall-ALCO for 21 years and was most recently vice...

MacLeod gets A&P job.(Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Inc.)(Jennifer MacLeod)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... A&P has named Jennifer MacLeod to the newly created past of senior vice president of marketing. She was previously vice president of marketing and public relations at Co-op Atlantic in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Costco named Retailer of Year.(MMR Retailer of the Year)
January 9, 2006... The editors of MMR have named Costco Wholesale Corp. the publication's 2005 Mass Market Retailer of the Year. In doing so, MMR has now broken a precedent, established 22 years ago, of designating either an individual or group of individuals as...

Bodine honored as Top Merchant.(awards and achievements)( Chris Bodine )
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- In today's mass market retail environment, true differentiation is hard to come by. Within any given trade class, after all, the same categories and the same major brands can generally be found from one chain to another. Yet...

Global Award goes to Corbett.(MMR International Retailer of the Year)(Roger Corbett)
January 9, 2006... SYDNEY, Australia -- The story is told of the time Babe Ruth asked for a salary of $80,000 a year. Reminded that, if he were to get that amount of money, he would earn more than the president of the United States, The Babe is reported to have...

Christmas sales fail to sparkle.
January 9, 2006... NEW YORK -- For yet another year, Christmas sales proved maddeningly beyond the reach of all but a handful of America's mass market retailers. The caution that characterized the consumer's approach to the Christmas season, one born of...

Albertsons back at square one.(Albertson's Inc.)
January 9, 2006... BOISE, Idaho -- Albertsons Inc. remained in talks last month with parties interested in its underperforming stores following the collapse of a purchase of the entire company. Those outlets could be sold for their real estate value. A $9.6...

Nash Finch faces securities suit.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... NEW YORK -- Grocery wholesaler Nash Finch Co. has announced that a class-action suit has been filed against the company and some of its executives, alleging violation of securities law. The lawsuit claims that the company violated the law...

Ordinance aids grocery workers.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles City Council has approved an ordinance that would make it more difficult for a company that buys a grocery store to dismiss the previous owner's employees for a minimum of three months. The Council acts at a...

Ralphs indicted for labor practices.(Ralphs Grocery Co)
January 9, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has returned a 53-count indictment against Ralphs Grocery Co., a subsidiary of Kroger Co., alleging that the company illegally and secretly rehired hundreds of locked-out employees under false...

Congress rolls dice on Medicaid cuts.(NEWS)
January 9, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The Medicaid cuts passed by Congress represent a huge gamble in three areas, says National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and chief executive officer Craig Fuller. First off the cuts gamble on whether the nearly 40...

Target to offer Agatha scents.(Agatha Ruiz de la Prada)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... NEW YORK -- Target Corp. has added another designer brand to its portfolio. Three fragrances from Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, marketed by Puig Fragrances and Personal Care USA, will be available in Target outlets in March 2006. The Agatha...

Spartan set to extend reach with D&W buy.(Spartan Stores Inc., D&W Food Centers Inc.)
January 9, 2006... GRAND RAPIDS -- Spartan Stores Inc. has agreed to buy crosstown rival D&W Food Centers Inc. in a deal that could add as much as $200 million a year to Spartan's sales. "This transaction will significantly strengthen our competitive retail...

Jury hands Wal-Mart big penalty.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. -- A California jury ordered Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to pay $172 million in damages and compensation to about 116,000 current and former California employees for denying their right to take a 30-minute lunch break. Wal-Mart...

Sale of Fresh Brands runs into opposition.(NEWS)
January 9, 2006... SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- A group of Florida investors has tried to block the impending sale of Fresh Brands Inc. to an affiliate of Certified Grocers Midwest Inc., a Chicago-area wholesale grocer cooperative. Fresh Brands, a Midwest supermarket chain...

Ten events that defined the company.(Costco Wholesale Corp.)(Company Profile)
January 9, 2006... SEATTLE -- At last summer's merchandising show here Costco cofounder and chief executive officer Jim Sinegal enumerated what he believes are the 10 most significant milestones in the retailer's 22-year history. Here, chronologically, are...

The Costco Brand of retailing, according to key execs.(NEWS/RETAILER OF THE YEAR)
January 9, 2006... Doug Schutt Executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Northern and Midwest divisions "Physically, we widened the center sections of our warehouses, removed a couple of steel bays and expanded the center...

A force to be reckoned with in top U.S. markets.(NEWS/RETAILER OF THE YEAR)(Costco Wholesale Corp.)
January 9, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco has a significant share of both food and general merchandise sales in major markets across the country. From San Francisco/Oakland/ Fremont, where the chain in 2004 had a second-place 16% share of supermarket...

Momentum reflected in results.(NEWS/RETAILER OF THE YEAR)(Costco Wholesale Corp.)
January 9, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco got fiscal 2006 off to a strong start by registering double-digit increases in both revenues and net earnings in the first quarter, meeting analysts' profit projections as well. Net income for the 12 weeks ended...

Merger a turning point for Costco.(merger with Price Co.)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- The first Costco warehouse club debuted in 1983 in Seattle, and by 1992 the retailer had opened, in Miami Lakes, Fla., its 100th club. But a year later its merger with Price Co. raised it to a new level and roughly doubled...

Mix includes everything from cosmetics to caskets.(Company Profile)
January 9, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco has a long history of adding new products and services to its mix. The approach is designed to continually increase the value of club membership. Costco was the first warehouse club operator to put pharmacies in...

A new category for warehouses.(contract)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp. has selected Source Interlink Cos. to supply magazines at Costco's 345 warehouse clubs in the United States and Puerto Rico. "We are very pleased to have been selected by Costco as a supplier of...

Technology offers insights for suppliers.(NEWS/RETAILER OF THE YEAR)(Costco Wholesale Corp.)
January 9, 2006... CHICAGO -- Costco and Information Resources Inc. (IRI) recently rolled out the Costco Collaborative Retail Exchange (CRX) program. The program provides direct, interactive access to what the companies say is the industry's only source of...

Saving people money on health insurance.(NEWS/RETAILER OF THE YEAR)(Costco)
January 9, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco extended the bounds of retailing last summer when it began offering members health insurance policies in stores in two California counties. The chain offered policies to its "executive members," who pay $100 a...

Costco offers deals.(Costco Wholesale Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Costco manages to create an exciting shopping experience for its members despite a charmless environment of cement floors, warehouse shelving and stacks of merchandise on pallets. It does so by making the products--and the deals--the stars....

'As a leader, we must step up'.(primary precursor ingredient )(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- In July 2005 CVS made a decision to move all of its over-the-counter, single-ingredient pseudoephedrine products behind the pharmacy counter. Pseudoephedrine is the primary precursor ingredient that can be converted...

Needs of customers determine direction.(Company Profile)
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- As a 17-year veteran at CVS, Chris Bodine has participated in and contributed to the chain's remarkable growth story. In 2000 he took on responsibility for merchandising and added direction of marketing two years later. ...

Pharmacy patients turn to CVS.
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- CVS' capacity for driving pharmacy sales is highly apparent at the former Eckerd stores it is operating in the South. With CVS and Eckerd technologies integrated, all of the outlets remodeled and remerchandised, and new...

Aging boomers, rise of generics to fuel prescription drug demand.(CVS Corp.'s business to grow)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... NEW YORK -- Two key pharmacy trends bode extremely well for CVS. One is the aging of America. The other is the increased usage of generic drugs. More people getting grayer means more demand for prescription drugs, while greater use...

CVS masters art of deal.(acquisition strategy)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Over the last decade and more mergers and acquisitions have redrawn the map of chain drug retailing. No other company in the industry has demonstrated the skill that CVS brings to acquiring and integrating chains. ...

Addition of Eckerd stores makes chain power in South.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- One of the side effects of its acquisition of 1,260 Eckerd stores is CVS' newfound power in the South. Eckerd had enjoyed some of its greatest market strength in the South, and by acquiring those stores CVS has...

New ideas enhance the store.(of CVS Corp.)
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- While CVS has little trouble getting consumers into its stores and providing them with a pleasant shopping experience, the chain has not forgotten that it needs to occasionally try new things. "You always need to...

Technology facilitates assimilation of Eckerd.(CVS Corp. acquires)
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Perhaps the trickiest aspect of CVS Corp.'s acquisition of part of the Eckerd Corp. empire last year was converting the information technology systems. As it turned out, conversion of the systems went virtually without a...

ExtraCare connects with customers.(CVS Corp.'s loyalty program)
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- It is hard to say who the ExtraCare loyalty card program has benefited more--CVS or its customers. For shoppers, comment company executives, the program's "Extra Bucks" are tantamount to free money. They get 2% back on...

'We had a terrific base in the core Eckerd personnel'.(CVS Corp. acquires)
January 9, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- For CVS Corp., purchasing 1,263 Eckerd stores from J.C. Penney was the easy part. The challenging aspect was assimilating the acquired units into the CVS network, and the executives at CVS headquarters and thousands of...

The CVS store experience.(easiest to shop)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... CVS is committed to making its stores the easiest to shop in the chain drug industry, and having the right product assortment is a big part of that. While the chain is, above all, a health care retailer, customers can also find ample offerings...

Acquisition reinforces liquor unit.(Taverner Hotel Group)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... SYDNEY, Australia -- Woolworths this year solidified its lead in Australia's retail liquor market with the acquisition of the Taverner Hotel Group. Woolworths made the acquisition through its Bruandwo Pty Ltd. subsidiary, which was formed...

Woolworths starts fiscal year on high note.(Woolworths Supermarkets)
January 9, 2006... SYDNEY, Australia -- Building on the momentum established by double-digit increases in sales and profits during its 2005 fiscal year, Woolworths got off to a solid start during the first quarter of fiscal 2006. Total sales jumped 14.4% to...

Community involvement a priority.(Company Profile)
January 9, 2006... SYDNEY, Australia -- Woolworths takes the notion of corporate responsibility seriously, company officials say. With that in mind, the company details its environmental and community involvement efforts in its annual report. On the...

A tradition of customer service.(from Woolworths Supermarkets)
January 9, 2006... SYDNEY, Australia -- Woolworths has a long history in Australia. The company opened its first store in December 1924. The outlet, The Woolworths Stupendous Bargain Basement opened in the old Imperial Arcade on Pitt Street in Sydney. The...

PL is core competency.(private label products, Woolworths Supermarkets)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... SYDNEY, Australia -- Part of Woolworths' strategy involves an increased emphasis on private label goods. The company's Home Brand, billed as Australia's largest-selling grocery brand, occupies the opening price point position. The Select...

Woolworths: "The Fresh Food People".(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Woolworths' supermarkets combine an everyday-low-price strategy with a focus on providing the highest-quality perishables. Styling itself "The Fresh Food People," the chain is committed to working with growers and suppliers to provide...

Albertsons throws in the towel, puts itself on selling block.
January 9, 2006... BOISE, Idaho -- Albertsons Inc., the nation's second-largest supermarket chain, put itself up for sale in September. The move was described by the company's board of directors as one of various "strategic alternatives" it was exploring in...

Jean Coutu gets back into the picture.(Jean Coutu Group Inc.)
January 9, 2006... LONGUEUIL, Quebec -- Jean Coutu, the 78-year-old chairman and founder of the Jean Coutu Group, reassumed the chief executive officer's role in November after integration problems with the acquired Eckerd stores in the United States derailed...

Duran takes over as Bernard exits Carrefour amid turmoil.(Juan-Luis Duran, Daniel Bernard)
January 9, 2006... PARIS -- Juan-Luis Duran became chief executive of Carrefour SA, the world's second-largest retailer after Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in February of last year, taking over after the ouster of Daniel Bernard as chairman and chief executive officer....

Retailers change face with formats.
January 9, 2006... NEW YORK -- In recent years the supermarket business has been pressured by competition from other retail trade classes. A growing number of operators have responded by developing very focused formats that address specific customer segments. ...

Procter & Gamble acquisition of Gillette creates Behemoth.
January 9, 2006... CINCINNATI -- Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) became even more of a consumer products powerhouse last year with its acquisition of Gillette Co. in a $57 billion deal. The merger, announced in January 2005, went ahead in October after the...

Top Wal-Mart execs do job swap.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)
January 9, 2006... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The year 2005 saw major changes occur in the top executive ranks of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. By its end a vice chairman had retired, two new co-vice chairmen had been named and each of the company's three divisions was under...

A&P continues efforts to right itself.(Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Inc.)
January 9, 2006... MONTVALE, N.J. -- As part of an effort to consolidate and focus on its operations in the northeastern United States, A&P succeeded last year in selling its Canadian business. The company's Farmer Jack and Food Basics stores in Michigan and...

Medicare, Medicaid are mixed bag of challenges, opportunities.
January 9, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Retail pharmacists got some good news and some bad news from the federal government last year, primarily in the form of changes and pending changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The good news involved a prescription...

A private ShopKo emerges after sale.(ShopKo Stores Inc., Sun Capital Partners Inc.)
January 9, 2006... GREEN BAY, Wis. -- ShopKo Stores Inc., after spurning its original suitor, finally agreed in October of last year to be acquired by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners Inc., a private equity firm, for $882 million or $29 a share. The deal...

After Sears/Kmart Merger, Myriad questions still persist.(Sears, Roebuck and Co., Kmart Holding Corp.)
January 9, 2006... HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- The Darwinian nature of retailing was highlighted last year by the merger of Kmart Corp. and Sears Roebuck and Co. Once the dominant retail chains in the United States, both had fallen on hard times in recent years. To...

Dollar store operators hit a plateau.
January 9, 2006... NEW YORK -- With fuel prices spiraling out of control in 2005, America's lower-income consumers found themselves squeezed. That was supposed to be the kind of environment in which the dollar store could flourish, but it has not proven to be the...

Retailers step up after hurricanes.(Pfizer Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Walgreen Co.)
January 9, 2006... NEW ORLEANS -- Hurricane Katrina, followed in short order by Rita, delivered a quick one-two punch in August and September of last year that left residents of the Gulf Coast reeling. Businesses from Texas to Florida continue to struggle to...

Safeway succeeds in developing a real point of difference.
January 9, 2006... PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Although Safeway Inc. made it back into the black in 2004, last year saw the chain make fundamental progress in rebuilding its business. In fact chairman, president and chief executive officer Steve Burd considers the...

Supermarketing celebrates 75th year.
January 9, 2006... NEW YORK -- A significant retailing milestone was passed in 2005: the 75th anniversary of the birth of the supermarket. Michael Cullen, a 46-year-old with nearly 30 years of food retailing experience, revolutionized the grocery business...

Winn-Dixie enters Chapter 11, pins hopes on new CEO.(Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., Peter Lynch)
January 9, 2006... JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After filing for bankruptcy protection in February of last year, Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. has carried on a difficult battle to become profitable. At the time of the filing, industry observers expressed doubt as to...

Biggest gainers.(in retail trade)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... BIGGEST GAINERS Close Change % Stock 12/9/05 vs. 11/25/05 Change Dillard's 24.15 +2.24 +10.2 Ahold 7.46...

Biggest losers.(in retail trade)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
January 9, 2006... BIGGEST LOSERS Close Change % Stock 12/9/05 vs. 11/25/05 Change NashFinch 25.34 -3.06 -10.8 Kohl's ...

Most active.(stocks in retail industry)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
January 9, 2006... MOST ACTIVE Stock Vol. (000) As a % Change vs. 1 Wk. Ended of Total 1 Wk. Ended 12/9/05 Shares 11/25/05 Casey's ...

Scoreboard.(for retailers)(Illustration)
January 9, 2006... SCOREBOARD Quarter Dollar % RETAILERS Ended Sales Change Costco (1) 11/20 12.7 bil +11.7 Goody's (2) 10/29 295.2 mil +3.7 Ingles (3) ...

Safeway declares quarterly dividend.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... SAFEWAY DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND: The board of directors of Safeway Inc. has announced a regular quarterly cash dividend of 5 cents per common share that will be payable on January 20 to stockholders of record at the close of business on...

Lenders extend deadline for Penn Traffic.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... LENDERS EXTEND DEADLINE FOR PENN TRAFFIC: As a result of previously announced governmental investigations of its promotional practices and policies, Penn Traffic Co. will further delay the finalization and release of its audited financial...

Spartan Stores increases credit facility.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... SPARTAN STORES INCREASES CREDIT FACILITY: Spartan Stores Inc. has expanded its current senior secured credit line to $225 million from $215 million and extended its term to seven years from five years. According to the company, the amended...

ShopKo waives purchase offer conditions.(ShopKo Stores Inc., shares)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... SHOPKO WAIVES PURCHASE OFFER CONDITIONS: ShopKo Stores Inc. waived certain conditions to its purchase offer for the outstanding $100 million principal amount of 9-1/4% senior notes due in 2022. In addition, ShopKo extended the expiration date...

Albertsons' earnings drop 24.3%.
January 9, 2006... BOISE, Idaho -- Albertsons Inc. saw income from ongoing lines fall by nearly 25% on flat sales during the 13 weeks ended November 3, prompting the company to trim its forecast for fiscal 2005 earnings. The food and drug retailer, which was...

BJ's profits up; outlook scaled back.(BJ's Wholesale Club Inc.)
January 9, 2006... NATICK, Mass. -- With high fuel prices helping to propel top-line growth, earnings took a double-digit jump at BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. during the third quarter of fiscal 2005. However, management slightly reduced its earnings guidance for the...

Kroger is on a roll.(earnings rise)
January 9, 2006... CINCINNATI--Kroger Co. rang up a double-digit increase in earnings for the quarter ended November 5, as a combination of solid top-line growth and a reduced expense ratio negated the impact of investments in gross margin. On a per-share basis,...

Delhaize hurt by higher costs.(Delhaize America Inc. suffers losses)
January 9, 2006... SALISBURY, N.C. -- Stymied by rising selling and administrative (S&A) expenses and a higher effective tax rate, Delhaize America Inc. saw profits from ongoing lines recede for the 13 weeks ended October 1. Third quarter income from...

Marsh swings into the red.(Marsh Supermarkets Inc., second quarter sales )(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... INDIANAPOLIS -- Marsh Supermarkets Inc, which recently joined the ranks of food retailers mulling the sale of their businesses, fell into the red in the 16 weeks ended October 15. The regional retailer reported a net loss of $3.4 million for...

An accounting move limits Fred's income.(contract with AmerisourceBergen Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... MEMPHIS -- Accounting related to a contract renewal with a pharmaceuticals supplier triggered a double-digit drop in net income at Fred's Inc. during the third quarter, despite a solid top-line gain. The bottom line for the 13 weeks ended...

A meaningful image is invaluable retail asset.(impact of media on holiday shoppers)
January 9, 2006... A new study calls into question the efficacy of television advertising as a means of prompting holiday shoppers to patronize particular stores. When BIGresearch asked 7,324 consumers which chain had the best holiday TV spot, 75.2%...

'It's called community pharmacy'.
January 9, 2006... Amid the devastation that is New Orleans, a group of heroes has emerged. In ordinary times, they toiled in anonymity for a group of pharmacy retailers along the Gulf Coast. But for a few days and weeks they distinguished themselves in a variety...

New ASDA format set.(ASDA Group Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... NEW ASDA FORMAT SET: Asda, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s division in the United Kingdom, is expected to introduce a more energy-efficient store format next year. The new Supercenter will be based on two experimental stores Wal-Mart operates in the...

DAIEI focus on Japan.(GLOBAL NEWS)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... DAIEI FOCUS ON JAPAN: The struggling supermarket retailer Daiei plans to sell its Daiei Inc. subsidiary, which is based in Honolulu and operates four supermarkets in Hawaii. That would end Daiei's retail operations outside of Japan. The...

Carrefour plans sale.(Carrefour Espana)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... CARREFOUR PLANS SALE: Carrefour Espana reportedly plans to sell Punto Cash, its 29-unit cash-and-carry chain. The move would fit with Carrefour's business plan in Spain, which calls for the company to sell nonstrategic assets and focus on its...

Mexican slowing seen.(GLOBAL NEWS)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... MEXICAN SLOWING SEEN: Election year uncertainty will likely slow Mexico's retail sales growth this year, according to a forecast by the National Association of Supermarkets and Department Stores. The group is predicting an 8% sales growth in...

Ahold in sales pact.(mergers)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... AHOLD IN SALES PACT: Ahold has agreed to sell three shopping centers in Poland and the Czech Republic to ING Real Estate for about 108 million euros ($127.3 million). The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2006.

Carrefour plans to boost its presence in South Korea.(GLOBAL)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... SEOUL, South Korea -- Carrefour SA has announced plans to open at least 15 more outlets in Korea over the next three years. That would bring the total number of Carrefour outlets in the country to at least 46, up from 31 today. Much of the...

Wal-Mart extends reach in Brazil.(SPOTLIGHT)
January 9, 2006... SAO PAULO, Brazil -- For the second time in two years Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has dramatically expanded its presence in Brazil with an acquisition. Wal-Mart last month agreed to buy the Brazilian operations of the Portuguese retailer Sonae...

Seiyu heads in new direction.(GLOBAL)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... TOKYO -- Seiyu Ltd. is now a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which plans to integrate the Japanese retailer more closely into its international operations. Last month Seiyu's shareholders approved a previously announced $1 billion...