Walmart

MINNEAPOLIS — Canned peaches, criminal records and political contributions were among the top shareholder concerns expressed at Target’s annual meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

New York -- A report released Monday by A.T. Kearney showed that Brazil once again first among developing countries for global retail expansion.

A.T. Kearney’s Global Consumer Institute’s 2012 Global Retail Development Index ranks the top 30 developing countries for global retail expansion.

New York -- A Monday report by Reuters said that New York City's pension funds have filed a derivative lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. based on reported allegations of bribery in Mexico and a possible cover-up by Wal-Mart officials.
 
The suit, filed in Delaware Chancery Court, alleges that Wal-Mart's officers and board of directors breached their fiduciary duty to both the company and shareholders by failing to properly handle claims of alleged bribery and apparently attempting to cover up details of the issue.

San Francisco -- A report by Reuters said that U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Friday said he was "seriously concerned" about whether the female plaintiffs suing Wal-Mart Stores have sufficient evidence to proceed with their re-filed gender discrimination lawsuit.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart is piloting a test program with En-Vision America to offer ScripTalk, a talking prescription system that provides those who cannot read standard print a safe and easy way to access the information on their prescriptions. ScripTalk is currently being offered to customers with visual impairments across the country through Walmart Mail Order and in three Walmart test stores. The program is free to Walmart pharmacy customers who are blind or visually impaired.

Technology continues to transform every aspect of society and the delivery of health care is no exception with Smart Care Doc branded clinics inside select Walmart stores now offering patients the ability to video conference with doctors.

BCS Global and Telemed Ventures this week announced they had teamed up to deliver deliver “cloud-based managed visual collaboration services” to Walmart’s Retail Clinics. Telemed operates Walmart clinics under the Smart Care Doc brand and BCS Global is provider of videoconferencing services.

One of the biggest gripes residents of Northwest Arkansas have of the region, be they long time residents or recent transplants, is that Walmart is the only game in town when it comes to groceries. That situation will change later this summer when The Fresh Market opens its first location in Rogers.

Spending on Father’s Day is projected to total $12.7 billion this year, and Walmart should get a decent portion of that total given its strength in top gift giving categories.

The Nation Retail Federation forecast this week that average spending per person for Father’s Day would increase 10% to $117 per person from $106 last year, further narrowing the gap with Mother’s Day when spending per person averaged $152.