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  • Sears, Kmart jump on layaway bandwagon by waiving fees

    Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. said Friday that both its Sears and Kmart banners would waive layaway fees for the holidays, allowing shoppers to open interest-free pay-over-time programs at both stores and online with no customary initial fees. Kmart’s program will run through Nov. 17, but Sears Holdings had yet to set a timeframe for its namesake stores.

    In the past, Kmart and Sears have charged $5 for an eight-week layaway contract and $10 for the 12-week program.

  • Simon puts comps, other initiatives in perspective

    Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon was feeling pretty good earlier this week as he reeled off accomplishments and emerging opportunities during a presentation at a Goldman Sachs retail conference.

    Simon appeared at the same conference two years earlier when Walmart was in a very different place in terms of its financial performance and its share price. His presentation this year was markedly different given all that has occurred under his leadership.

  • Kmart joins trend of cutting layaway fees

    HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — The trend of doing away with layaway fees continues, this time with Kmart announcing that it has removed its layaway service fee both in stores and online through Nov. 17.

    The retailer follows suit with Toys"R"Us, which said it would drop the $5 upfront service fee and eliminate the minimum purchase requirement for all orders created in stores through Oct. 31 and Walmart, which, while not cutting back its layaway fee, has rolled it back to $5 from $15.

  • Kraft Foods outlines plans for North American grocery biz

    BOSTON — The future North American grocery business of Kraft Foods will deliver steady and profitable top-line growth, consistent bottom-line growth and a superior dividend payout, according to the business' future executive team.

  • Walgreens August sales down 4.5%; reports Q4, year-end sales

    DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens reported August sales of $5.9 billion, a decrease of 4.5% as compared with the same month in fiscal 2011.

    August pharmacy sales decreased 7.2%, while comparable-store pharmacy sales decreased 12.4%. In addition to the Express Scripts impact, comparable-store pharmacy sales were negatively impacted by 7.9 percentage points due to generic drug introductions in the last 12 months. Pharmacy sales accounted for 64.1% of total sales for the month.

  • Mississippi high court rules Wal-Mart not responsible for selling ammo to minor

    Jackson, Miss. -- The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is not liable for selling bullets to an underage customer who then used the ammunition to commit murder.

    The lawsuit was filed by the relatives of Robert Williams, who was shot and killed by his girlfriend's son in 2006. The son, Xavier Zurndell Moore, was 20 years old at the time, and shot Williams with ammunition purchased at a local Walmart store. Federal law requires that a person be 21 to buy pistol ammunition.

  • Save-the-date: sustainability milestone meeting set for 9/13

    Thursday, September 13 at 9 a.m. central time is the start date for another one of Walmart’s sustainability milestone meetings. The company uses the gatherings, Webcast from its home office auditorium, to highlight a wide range of environmental initiatives that increasingly contribute to efforts to operate more efficiently.

     

  • GMA names VP industry affairs

    WASHINGTON — The Grocery Manufacturers Association has named Elise Fennig as VP industry affairs.

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