Walmart

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has reportedly named two new managers for its China business. According to Bloomberg, an internal corporate memo indicates Wal-Mart is naming Adrian Blake as senior VP of business development in China and Rob Bray as senior VP of real estate in China.

Dallas – Four-in-10 (43%) of U.S. smartphone users purchased a good via their device in the last month. The new Parks Associates study “Mobile Commerce: Keys to Mass Adoption” also shows that 54% of Target shoppers have used their smartphone to make an in-store purchase in the last month, compared to 38% of Wal-Mart customers.

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Former Walmart executive Dijuana Lewis will be joining Aetna as EVP, responsible for the newly formed Consumer Products and Enterprise Marketing organization.

In this role, she will be responsible for aligning consumer-focused businesses, products, services and capabilities to deliver a personalized end-to-end consumer experience that positions the company for long-term growth.

Lewis will report directly to Aetna chairman, CEO and president Mark Bertolini and will be a member of the company’s executive committee.

It’s one down and more than 11,000 to go as Dollar General has opened its first ever fueling station at a store in Hanceville, Ala.

The pilot project is part of an agreement with Mansfield Oil, a provider of fuel supply, distribution, delivery, and dispensing solutions. The store in question is one of Dollar General’s larger format Market stores which include expanded food and consumables. Dollar General operates more than 11,000 stores nationwide, but slightly more than 100 units are in the Market format.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores will reportedly close 20 underperforming stores in China next year as part of an overhaul of its Chinese operations. According to Bloomberg, Wal-Mart is restructuring its business in China, including a new management structure and more efficient purchasing operations.

However, Wal-Mart still plans to open 100 stores in China during the next three years. A Wal-Mart executive said the stores being closed there do not have ideal locations or layouts.

Walmart said its worldwide capital expenditure budget for the 2014 will range between $11.8 billion and $12.8 billion, roughly $200 million less than the company expects to spend during the current year, even as it adds more selling space.

Michelle Gloeckler, SVP of Home at Walmart and head of the retailer’s domestic manufacturing initiative is scheduled to give an update on the program, its progress and inner workings in Bentonville next month.

Gloecker was recently confirmed as a speaker at an event organized by the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce for the organization’s Walstreet membership group which consists of Walmart suppliers and service provider companies. Gloecker is scheduled to speak on Thursday, November 14.
 

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys “R” Us announced that Antonio Urcelay has been named chief executive, effective immediately, after serving as the company’s interim CEO since May of this year. In other executive news, the retailer appointed a former Wal-Mart executive, Hank Mullany, as president of Toys “R” U.S., effective Nov. 5.

Urcelay, 61, who joined Toys “R” Us in 1996, had been president of the company's Europe business before being named interim CEO.

Bentonville, Ark. – Kenyan retailer Naivas reportedly will not sell a controlling interest in the company to Wal-Mart’s South African subsidiary Massmart. According to Reuters, a Naivas executive said the retailer no longer plans to sell 50% plus one share of its stock to Massmart.