Walmart

Neil Ashe, president and CEO of global e-commerce was clearly the most excitable person on stage Wednesday at Walmart’s 19th annual analysts' meeting. And for good reason.

Walmart created its global e-commerce group two years ago and Ashe joined the company back in January. Wednesday was his first opportunity to participate in the company’s annual analysts’ meeting and he made the most of it, slipping in a first ever reference to Walmart’s online revenues that now total $9 billion.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart is expanding its Centers of Excellence program to offer its associates health care with no out-of-pocket cost for heart, spine, and transplant surgeries at six of the nation’s leading hospital and health systems.  

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart is introducing a first-of-its-kind Centers of Excellence program that will offer its associates quality health care with no out-of-pocket cost for heart, spine and transplant surgeries at six of the leading hospital and health systems in the United States. 

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Walmart Canada is stepping up its presence in the country this month with the opening of the most stores in the company's history.

By the end of October, the company will complete 30 real estate projects. They include two supercenter conversions and 28 new stores, which were formerly Zellers stores. Of the 28 Zellers locations, 10 will be supercentres and 18 will be discount stores. The 30 stores employ more than 3,000 associates and represent an addition of nearly 2.4 million square feet of retail space.

Rogers, Ark. -- In its annual meeting with analysts on Wednesday, Wal-Mart Stores U.S. president Bill Simon said the retailer would accelerate small-store growth to compete with dollar stores and drug stores, and announced plans to have 500 Neighborhood Market stores and 12 Express stores by fiscal 2016.

“This gives us the opportunity to build more stores for less money," Simon said. Wal-Mart currently operates 217 Neighborhood Markets and 10 Express stores.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart said Tuesday it is testing same-day delivery service in four markets over the holiday shopping season.

The service is being tested in northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and San Francisco/San Jose, Calif. Geared toward customers who buy popular items online during the holidays, the test includes about 5,000 items and builds on a same-day grocery delivery service the retailer launched in San Jose in April 2010 and tested in San Francisco in 2011.

Mississauga, Ontario -- Walmart Canada said Tuesday it will complete 30 real estate projects by the end of October, including two supercenter conversions and 28 new stores totaling 2.4 million sq. ft. of retail space.

The new stores were former Zellers locations; 10 will be converted to supercenters and 18 will be Walmart Canada discount stores.

“This is an exciting month for Walmart Canada,” said Jim Thompson, COO, Walmart Canada.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart plans a modest acceleration of its small format stores in the coming years as investors were assured Wednesday morning that financial returns are now comparable with the company’s large supercenters.