Walmart

By Jeff Weidauer, Vestcom International   There’s been a lot of discussion in recent months about store sizes, in particular the fact that stores are getting smaller, primarily because of the impact of e-commerce. For example, Walmart and Target are both committed to offering smaller format stores.   

New Delhi, India –- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has named Murali Lanka as COO of its Indian operation effective Dec. 1. Lanka has held various positions with Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club since 1989 and served as head of operations of Wal-Mart India from 2008-2013, and most recently held the position of regional general manager for Wal-Mart in Texas.  

Richmond, Va. -- Employers in the hospitality industry will pay the highest average wage for holiday employees at $11.80 per hour, followed by retail at $10.30, and food service at $9.40, according to a survey by Snagajob, which provides recruitment and hiring solutions to the hourly industry.  

Santa Clara, Calif. –- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is reportedly developing a new centralized approach to how it prioritizes and executes IT projects.    According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart will now consolidate all IT projects into a single portfolio overseen by CIO Karenann Terrell.  

Berlin, Vt. -- The Berlin Mall, in Berlin, Vt., hosted the grand opening of the state’s first Walmart Supercenter on Wednesday. The location was previously a 65,000+-sq.-ft. Walmart store that added 26,200 sq. ft. and full-line grocery offerings to bring the retailer’s first supercenter to Vermont.  

Beachwood, Ohio --DDR Corp. and an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII announced that a joint venture formed by the pair has closed on the acquisition of 71 shopping centers previously owned by American Realty Capital Properties for $1.93 billion.

St. Louis -- Nike, Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Walmart are the top five “most beloved” brands of millenials in a report by digital advertising agency Moosylvania. The 2015 Top 50 Millennial Brand Ranking Report is based on panel studies of 1,500 millennials (defined as aged 14 to 35).   

A much anticipated acceleration of small format Walmart stores failed to materialize on Wednesday when the retailer announced plans to curtail domestic new store growth in 2016.