Walmart

By Liana Hill, [email protected]

NEW YORK  — Classified Cosmetics announced that it has launched a line of aerobrush products at select Walmart stores and Walmart.com.

The Aero Minerale line at Walmart  includes a 5-in-1-makeup primer that preps the brows, lids, lashes, face and lips with a quick 2-second spray. According to the company, the Aero Minerale Hydrating Mineral Primer can also transform any powdered shadow into a dramatic, versatile cream.

Talk about visibility. Target went way beyond the norm in the retail industry earlier this year when it said that within six or seven years sales would reach $100 billion and earnings per share would double to at least $8. Expressing such a long term outlook is not without considerable risk, chief among them is the rapid pace of change in the retail industry and the fact that the competitive landscape and the factors influencing consumer demand could look very different within six or seven years.

Cape Town, South Africa -- A Tuesday report by Bloomberg said that Shoprite Holdings Ltd. has announced plans to speed up its store expansion this year as it faces increased competition from Wal-Mart Stores.

South Africa’s largest retailer by market value, Shoprite said it will add 106 stores by June 2012. That compares with 96 openings in the same period last year. The company currently operates 1,246 stores.

New York City -- The women who were part of the large class action lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores have been given until Oct. 28 to file individual lawsuits against the company, a U.S. judge ruled, Reuters reported.

The women, who claim the retailer denied them pay raises and promotions because of gender bias, are regrouping after the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled a class of up to 1.5 million current and former Wal-Mart workers in June.

The trend of fewer people shopping Walmart stores less often has hurt the company’s efforts to revitalize U.S. sales growth, and now it the appears trip consolidation trend is playing out internationally as well.

Walmart International sales increased 7.1% to $27.8 billion in the second quarter and all countries produced sales growth, except Japan, when measured on a constant currency basis. Profitability didn’t improve as quickly. Operating profit was up 0.5% to nearly $1.3 billion, but if some one time charges are excluded the growth rate picks up to 5.6%.