Budgets/Spending/Market Size

New York City -- Wal-Mart Stores said that by the end of the year it will have invested the equivalent of approximately $756 million to expand its operations in Brazil.

Marcos Samaha, president of Wal-Mart's Brazilian subsidiary, said in a Tuesday statement that 1.2 billion reals ($755 million) will be used to build 80 stores, renovate existing locations and improve logistics.

New York City -- Luxury, e-commerce and apparel enjoyed strong growth in April and the restaurant category surpassed last month’s gains, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and services sales. Electronics and appliance sales registered declines.

El Segundo, Calif. -- Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp.’s first-quarter net income fell 54% and missed analysts' expectations because of increased expenses as customer traffic declined.

The company also gave a second-quarter earnings outlook much lower than Wall Street's view.

Big 5 reported late Tuesday that it earned $2.8 million for the period ended April 3, down from $5 million a year ago.

New York City -- Chain Store Age will present a Webinar – “Facilities Dollars and Sense: Unlocking Substantial Maintenance and Repair Savings by Controlling All Components of Cost” -- on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at 2 p.m (EST).

The presentation, sponsored by First Service Networks, will discuss a new way of thinking that systematically analyzes, controls and manages each individual component of cost to deliver substantial savings on multi-site maintenance and repair spend.

New York City -- Americans are placing an even greater premium on quality customer service this year, with 70% willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service, according to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer. This is up from 2010, when 58% said they would spend an average of 9% more for great service.

Lakeland, Fla. -- Publix Supermarkets said Monday that sales and earnings rose in the first quarter. Net earnings rose 9.3% to $398.2 million, compared with $364.4 million in 2010.

Sales for the first quarter totaled $6.8 billion, and same-store sales rose 2.8%.

“Although the economy continues to be weak, I’m pleased our strong operating performance resulted in another increase in our stock price,” said Ed Crenshaw, Publix’s CEO, said in a statement.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Strong earnings and sales growth in the first quarter helped drive up Publix's stock price.

Publix’s sales for the first quarter of 2011 were $6.8 billion, a 4.4% increase from last year’s $6.5 billion. Comparable-store sales for the first quarter of 2011 increased 2.8%.

Net earnings for the first quarter of 2011 were $398.2 million, compared with $364.4 million in 2010, an increase of 9.3%. Earnings per share for the first quarter increased to 51 cents for 2011, up from 47 cents per share in 2010.

Sidney, Neb. -- Cabela's said Thursday that stronger revenue helped its fiscal first-quarter profit more than double from results weighed down by a hefty charge a year ago.

The reported net income of $17.8 million in the three months ended April 2, up from $8.1 million a year earlier.

The year-ago period included an $11.9 million charge related to a 2009 FDIC compliance examination.

Revenue increased 5% to $586.7 million, from $559.6 million. Same-store sales rose 8.9%.