Walmart

Widening competition for commodity grocery sales is changing grocery-anchored shopping centers.

Supermarket-anchored shopping centers haven't changed much since the invention of suburbia. Find a good location, sign a grocery anchor, get a construction loan and some inline local, regional and maybe national retailers, and you're in business.

Today, however, supermarkets are beginning to change, and supermarket-anchored shopping centers, of course, must follow along.

Why are grocers changing? Competition from all sides.

Saint John, New Brunswick -- Walmart Canada grand-opened a 129,000-sq.-ft. superstore in Saint John, New Brunswick, on Friday, the first of nine “Maritime Supercenters” planned for the country by Jan. 31, 2014, said the retailer.

The newly redeveloped store, which signals the launch of Walmart Canada’s Maritime sourcing program for produce, features a fresh grocery section that will serve as a prototype for all Maritime supercenters.

In advance of the Walmart-led U.S. Manufacturing Summit held in Orlando, Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon wrote an op-ed piece for the Huffington Post titled, "Reviving U.S. Manufacturing Key to Rebuilding the Middle Class." In it, Simon alludes to the vanishing middle class — which found themselves jobless as products once produced in the U.S.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday brought together retailers, suppliers and government officials to figure out how they could work together to drive more manufacturing in the United States.

Financial network CNBC’s top anchor Maria Bartiromo took her show “Closing Bell” on the road this week to broadcast live outside the auditorium at the Orlando convention center where Walmart convened its domestic manufacturing summit.

Walmart’s SVP of Home Michelle Gloeckler may not have been among those on stage at the retailer’s domestic sourcing summit, but she is the one leading the execution of massive initiative.

Walmart displayed a powerful commitment to revitalizing U.S. manufacturing this week when the company convened its first ever domestic sourcing summit.

Not only was the event a first for Walmart, it was also unlike anything the retail industry has ever seen. Roughly 1,500 supplier company representatives, government and economic development officials, Walmart’s top executives and dozens of senior merchants participated in the three hour summit held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Ace Brand from 3M Company has launched Ace Brand Sports Medicine Products, marking the brand’s expansion into the sporting goods category. 

As part of the launch, Ace Brand has partnered with Little League Baseball and Softball, the world’s largest youth sports organization, to support youth athletes nationwide.