Walmart

Walmart and other retailers are facing renewed criticism over their global sourcing practices following another factory disaster in Bangladesh.

Reuters is reporting that a block of garment factories and shops collapsed in Savar, 20 miles outside Dhaka, on Wednesday, killing 251 people and injuring more than a thousand. According to the report, an unknown number of the more than 3,000 people who work at the factory remain trapped inside. For more information, go to:

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Wednesday that it is implementing a pilot program that brings increased transparency to its workforce scheduling and allows associates to choose more hours for themselves.

Walmart said it is piloting the program in Denver and Fort Smith, Ark., to provide associates with transparent and consistent information on available shifts throughout the store and give them the opportunity to request to work any of those shifts.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., and BURBANK, Calif. — Walmart has partnered with Warner Bros. to give its customers exclusive access to see "Man of Steel" in theaters nationwide before the film's official release. 

The Senate has voted unanimously to confirm former Walmart Foundation President Sylvia Mathews Burwell as White House budget director, according to a Reuters report.

The report went on to state that the 96-0 vote marks the first time the White House has had a fully confirmed budget director since January 2012, when Jack Lew, now Treasury Secretary, left the position to become Obama's chief of staff.

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores CEO Mike Duke received pay package in 2012 worth $20.7 million, up 14% from the previous year, according to an Associated Press analysis of a regulatory filing Monday. Duke's performance-based cash bonus jumped more than 50%.

In the regulatory filing, Wal-Mart said that starting this year, it will tie some of Duke's compensation, along with that of other top executives, to the company's success in strengthening its compliance controls. Traditionally, compensation has been based on financial measures.

SAN FRANCISCO — Executives from Walmart, Facebook and Groupon are among the keynote speakers slated for the Mobile Commerce World three-day conference and expo in June. 

Mobile Commerce World touts itself as the only event of its kind designed to help retail and enterprise executives create the most effective mobile commerce strategies. It will be held June 24-26, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. 

The keynote lineup includes:

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Wrangler has drafted New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees to endorse its denim brand.

One of the most decorated and respected quarterbacks in the NFL, Brees joins Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brett Favre as brand ambassadors. He will be featured in upcoming marketing campaigns, scheduled to launch in August.

Bentonville, Ark. -- For the first time in the retailer’s history, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said that, through Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, it has given more than $1 billion in cash and in-kind contributions.

The Monday announcement makes Walmart the first U.S. retailer to achieve the $1 billion in giving mark, up from $872.7 million last year. The growth in global giving was largely due to increased in-kind donations in the U.S. to local food banks and families impacted by disasters.

Hong Kong -- The Asia arm of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday it has achieved energy savings of 20% across 210 supplier factories in China.

According to Walmart Asia president and CEO Scott Price, the factories have “cut their energy consumption by a minimum of 20% as of December 2012, saving approximately 2.168 billion kWh, a number equivalent to powering 1.46 million homes for an entire year."

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. — Walmart will exclusively offer the 5-Day Nutrisystem Jumpstart Your Weight Loss Kit at nearly 2,000 stores.

The new 5-Day Nutrisystem Jumpstart Your Weight Loss Kit, including 15 entrees plus desserts, a free meal planner and program guide with access to free weight loss counseling, can be purchased in-store for $44.98. There is also a 5-Day Nutrisystem kit designed for people losing weight to help manage their diabetes available in the pharmacy section of select stores.