Walmart

Walmart is the subject of a federal lawsuit involving its alleged treatment of pregnant workers.   

Amazon is celebrating two decades as a public company in a big way — as an enterprise worth nearly $460 billion.   The retail giant, which began as a modest online bookstore, went public on the Nasdaq in an IPO valued at a modest $438 million. Today, Amazon has grown into an empire that not only sells books, but has become a major player across categories, including clothing, food, furniture, jewelry, private-label goods and electronics, among other segments.   

Online retailing is on an upward trajectory that shows no sign of slowing.   In fact, the segment is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of close to 16% between 2017-2021, according to a research forecast from Technavio.  

There’s been a new twist in the U.S. lawsuit over Wal-Mart’s alleged bribery in Mexico.  

When shoppers talk about brands, they usually do it offline.   That’s according to a study by Engagement Labs that measured the performance of 60 brands with respect to social media and word of mouth conversations. Amazon came out on top in the retail and apparel category, followed by Nike and Nordstrom.   

Watch out Walmart — discount grocer Aldi is beating you in one crucial area.    Aldi’s prices are 21% lower than its lowest-priced rivals, including Walmart, CEO Jason Hart told Reuters. And he plans to maintain that gap going forward.   The fast-growing Aldi, which recently entered California, operates some 1,600 stores in the United States, with 400 new locations planned by the end of 2018.  

Greg Portell, lead partner in the retail practice of global strategy and management consultant A.T. Kearney, discusses Target’s plan to test next-day delivery of online orders of household essentials. The new service, called Target Restock, is open to shoppers of the chain’s REDcard loyalty program.    What influenced Target’s decision to launch the program?