Walmart news 

Walmart is collaborating with Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and Higher Ground Productions to launch a new interactive experience that aims to show kids that healthy food can be fun. Inspiring families to cook fresh healthy foods The interactive culinary adventure experience, The Hidden World of Waffles + Mochi, is based on the characters from the Netflix show, Waffles + Mochi. I...

India’s second wave of COVID-19 infections continue to worsen, with no signs of slowing down.  The country’s overwhelmed healthcare system faces a shortage of hospital beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccines.  This has prompted another round of movement restrictions, with shorter operating hours even for grocery operators and other essential services.  And as more frontline workers report unwell, re...

The retailer announced that its first store in Huizhou, Guangdong province, will officially open on 28 April. This is Sam's 32nd store in China. Using “single product driven model” to achieve best prices for members The store carries 4,000 SKUs from different parts of the world, selected to suit Chinese consumers’ preferences and taste. Sam’s “single product driven model” is implemented ...

Following successful drive-in movie, game day and Halloween events at its car parks last year, Walmart is launching Mother’s May Markets at selected Supercenters in the US. Mother’s Day becomes Mother’s Month With its focus on moms and Mother’s Day, Walmart is launching a month-long series of events, recognising the challenging year many will have experienced due to the pandemic. This inclu...

First went the shelf-scanning robots, now the pickup towers are being removed or hibernated. What do these changes mean for Walmart’s automation journey? Fanfare and flagships The Wall Street Journal has reported that Walmart is removing or decommissioning around 1,600 Pickup Towers which have been installed within its US stores over the last few years. This follows on from reports last y...

Walmart is partnering with Texas-based French bakery and café chain, la Madeleine, to test a new Express prototype at stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. 10 pilot locations to open The partnership will see 10 test la Madeleine Express locations open with Walmart Supercenters, its hypermarket format. The first is expected to launch in Garland this July, with the remainder opening in the ...

Walmart has participated in the latest funding round for Cruise, a self-driving, electric vehicle startup. Builds on existing relationship Walmart initially partnered with Cruise last year to develop a delivery pilot in Scottsdale, Arizona. This area been a major focus for the retailer, undertaking several different pilots over recent years. These include programmes with Nuro in Houston, Ga...

In our latest report, we look at the initiatives retailers are putting in place as they strive to improve online grocery profitability following a year of accelerated growth. Five areas of focus for improved profitability  Following rapid growth last year, which saw grocery ecommerce sales almost double in the US to just under $70bn, in 2021 retailers are laser-focused on improving channel ...

Walmart has appointed Jean Batthany as senior vice president, chief creative officer, further bolstering its US marketing team. Building a new marketing organisation This appointment follows on from the recruitment earlier this year of Courtney Carlson as senior vice president of marketing, joining the retailer from Under Arrmour where she held the role of head of marketing. Batthany joins ...

Saladworks, a leading fast-casual salad brand, has partnered with Ghost Kitchen Brands in a deal that will almost double its footprint across the US and Canada. The agreement will bring 60 non-traditional locations to the US and 30 to Canada by the end of 2021, many of which will be located inside Walmart stores. Saladworks capitalising on grocery store traffic Ghost Kitchen Brands has part...