Club & Warehouse

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores lowered its full year profit forecast early Thursday after reporting weaker that expected second quarter U.S. same-store sales at its U.S. division and suggested global economic conditions remain challenging.

Walmart lowered its full year profit forecast early Thursday after reporting weaker that expected second quarter same store sales at its U.S. division and suggested global economic conditions remain challenging.

Total company net sales increased 2.8% to $116.7 billion on a constant currency basis and profits increased 1.3% to $4.1 billion while earnings per share grew 5.1% to $1.24. That was a penny below the consensus forecast of analysts, although earnings per share included a charge related to international operations that reduced earnings by a penny.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $7.87 billion for the month of July, the four weeks ended August 4, an increase of 7% from $7.36 billion during the similar period last year.

For the 48 weeks ended August 4, the company reported net sales of $94.91 billion, an increase of 8% from $87.7 billion during the similar period last year.

San Diego – PriceSmart reported substantial increases in both net warehouse club sales and same-store warehouse club sales during July of this year as compared to July of last year. For the month of July 2013, net warehouse club sales increased 11.9% to $188.5 million, from $168.5 million in July a year earlier. There were 31 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of July 2013 and 29 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of July 2012.

Washington, D.C. -- In a settlement agreement with the U.S. Labor Department, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to improve safety conditions for employees who use trash compactors and cleaning chemicals at 2,857 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in 28 states.

The retailer will also pay a $190,000 fine to fix hazards uncovered during an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection at a store in Rochester, N.Y.
 

Back-to-school shoppers get a free three day pass at Sam’s Club beginning August 2, as part of an initiative to increase membership at the warehouse club.

Sam’s is inviting shoppers to visit its more than 600 clubs beginning Friday, August 2, without paying any type of membership fee or non-member surcharge. The retailer has conducted similar open house events in the past as a means to expose shoppers to the Sam’s Club experience and hopefully convert a meaningful number to dues-paying members, at either the $45 base membership level or $100 Plus member level.

Walmart knows it isn’t going to win any supermarket industry prizes for store experience, not when operators such as Whole Foods and Publix are involved, but not leading the pack on price is a different matter.

San Francisco -- Although most of the 16 electronics retailers scored by the Electronics TakeBack Coalition received an “F” grade, three companies – Staples, Best Buy and Office Depot – were deemed to have effective recycling programs.

More than half of the retailers failed the Coalition’s assessment, including Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Sam’s Club and Sears.