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Current and former Walmart executives tell a lot of stories about company founder Sam Walton, but one of the more familiar ones involves visiting competitors’ stores. The story recalls a walk through a poorly merchandised store, whereupon exiting the building no one has anything good to say when Sam asks what they saw. After reeling off the competitor’s faults, Sam would proceed to detail the things he saw that the competitor was doing right, maybe even better than Walmart — things the company could learn from and apply to its own business.
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Sustainability :
Consumers say show them the 'green'-backs
A solid business case exists for many sustainability practices, which explains why they are being pursued with such zeal.
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New Headlines
Walmart Foundation donates $2.6M to YouthBuild USA >
Sam's Club adds Wi-Fi, enhances in-store technology >
Wal-Mart, Target in U.S. pilot program for energy efficiency >
Wal-Mart to use smart tags on men’s clothing >
Former Walmart.com exec joins PowerReviews >
Sam's Club testing online small business loan program >
Walmart's Gearhart to take on role of corporate secretary >
Walmart launches college plan for employees >
Walmart Foundation funds school solar project >
Walmart launches Gamecenter >
Walmart forges ahead with Rollbacks program >
WMT: earnings exceed guidance, U.S. outlook weak >
Walmart MoneyCard users to earn cash back on gas >
Walmart enhances home entertainment department >
Sam's Club named official supplier of the Kansas City Barbeque Society >
Clarke confirmed as Asda CEO >
Sam's Club breaks new ground in wind power >
Asda guarantees the best price >
Wal-Mart Stores suffers class action setback >
Former PepsiCo chief nominated to Walmart board >
Wal-Mart eyes increased sourcing from India >
Survey: Walmart tops in customer loyalty >
Walmart increases charitable giving >
Wal-Mart increases annual dividend >
Walmart.com promotes reading with $3 books >
Walmart donates $1 million for Chile relief >
Walmart seeks Web movie magic with Vudu >
Walmart opens Latin America division HQ in South Florida >
Walmart: Q4 earnings beat, sales weak, outlook tepid >
Walmart helps improve conditions for Bangladeshi apparel workers >
Sam’s Club to shed 11,000 jobs as it outsources in-store sampling duties >
Walmart to close 10 underperforming Sam’s Clubs >
Sam's Club launches vodka line >
Walmart pushes last-minute deals on popular gifts >
Walmart enchants Boys & Girls Club kids with 'The Princess and the Frog' >
Garanimals launches toy line at Walmart >

Feature Story

A Formula for Success


When Walmart shareholders gather each year in early June for the company’s annual meeting the elephant in the auditorium for the past decade has been the company’s share price. Ranging between $45 and $55 for most of the past 10 years, with the occasional spike above $60 in early 2002 and again in the fall of 2008, shareholders had to be content with steady dividend increases.

That’s the scenario again this year, with a share price hovering around $50, and a recent dividend increase that has put the annual per share payout at a healthy $1.21. Walmart executives can’t control the company’s stock price, as they have noted at past annual meetings when the question arose about when it would go up. However, they do control the performance of the business, and since last fall the watch words on that front have been growth, leverage and returns. While those concepts are familiar goals of every business, in Walmart’s case they describe the objectives behind a broad slate of initiatives currently being executed to achieve shareholder satisfaction. The company’s stock price may not have budged this year, but executives contend they are delivering against stated objectives and point to first quarter results as evidence.

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Retailing Today ©2010 Lebhar-Friedman, Inc.

Editorial

Mike Troy - Senior Editor
Mike Troy
Editor


I found something interesting the other day in the bottom of a drawer that doesn’t get opened much anymore because it contains envelopes people used in the old days when they actually mailed letters. It was a name badge issued a decade earlier when I attended the Walmart shareholders’ meeting held June 2, 2000.

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Guest Column

Supply chains enter ‘Platform’ era

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These are exciting times for retail supply chain managers. We are finally starting to see real progress against the once-competing goals of high-inventory availability and better financial returns. Thanks to sophisticated technology solutions, retailers can reduce stock levels and still keep customers happy.

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Guest Column

Spotlight 

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Walmart through the ages

Students of Walmart get ready for a field trip. Take U.S. 71 north from Bentonville to Kansas City and in the span of three hours it is possible to glimpse three decades worth of merchandising and growth strategies at three distinctly different stores
...

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JUNE

June 17-18: BBV Chamber of Commerce Walstreet member pairing and annual golf tournament
Contact: Tammy Thurow at (479) 273-2842

June 23-25: The Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit, London. Guest speaker: former ASDA president and CEO Andy Bond.
www.TCGFSummit.com

June 24-25: University of Florida's David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education & Research Retailing Smarter Symposium, Orlando, Fla.
Warrington.ufl.edu/mkt/retailcenter/

June 24-26: 17th annual Cancer Challenge
CancerChallenge.com

June 24-26: National Retail Federation Loss Prevention & Expo, Atlanta
NRF.com/lp10

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