Marketing

Charlotte, N.C. - Resale clothing retailer Buffalo Exchange brings the original concept of buy-sell-trade clothing to Charlotte with the opening of its first North Carolina store, located in the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood at 1521 Central Avenue, in mid-April.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Staples announced that it has formed a new strategic alliance with one of the leading Swiss office products companies, Büro Schoch Direct AG. Within Switzerland, Staples and Büro Schoch Direct will work together exclusively on international accounts and collaborate to exchange best practices, the company reported.

MONTVALE, N.J. — Grocer A&P is launching a discount program that offers seniors savings on groceries purchased at A&P, Pathmark, Waldbaum's, Food Emporium and Superfresh banner stores.

On April 4, the company is launching its "Senior Appreciation Days" program, starting with "Senior Appreciation Mondays," a new special discount program for seniors in all Pathmark banner stores.

No one disputes the philosophy that every day low prices enabled Walmart to achieve dramatic growth, but pricing studies continue to reveal a marketplace where price separation relative to competitors has become difficult to achieve.

Walmart’s past and future collided this week in a stark juxtaposition of events. While the company’s lawyers were engaged in oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court stemming from events in the past, senior executive of the international division were gathered with financial analysts in a hotel ballroom in Shenzhen, China to discuss the future.

With 329 stores in China producing $7.5 billion in sales annually, Walmart has experienced dramatic growth since it entered the market in 1996 with two stores. Last year, the company pursued its most aggressive expansion to date with the opening of 49 stores, and at a meeting for financial analysts earlier this week in Shenzhen, China, senior executives detailed plans to get a lot bigger.

Walmart this week filed its annual report on form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in keeping with good disclosure practices around risk factors the company offered an update on the sex discrimination case that has been all over the news.

Dijuana Lewis was named SVP healthcare solutions at Walmart the company announced Thursday. She will report to John Agwunobi who serves as president of Walmart’s health and wellness business unit.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced plans to open a Nordstrom Rack in Boise, Idaho.

The 37,000-sq.-ft. store will be part of the Boise Towne Plaza shopping center and is expected to open in spring 2012.

Boulder, Col. -- Sunflowers Farmer Market plans to open its first location in California on May 11, in Roseville, which is in the northern half of the state.

Sunflower operates 33 stores in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Texas.