Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer and biggest employer of women, has done something unusual: it's improved its pregnancy policies. The changes took effect in March and were reported by The Washington Post on April 5. This morning, OUR Walmart, the union-backed group calling for higher wages and better working conditions, claimed victory. So did three legal organizations. Wal-Mart says it wasn't responding to outside pressure, it was just looking for ways to help its employees. The timing must be a coincidence.

Wal-Mart's brand value is waning, as competitors like Amazon.com have dulled its low-price edge. By contrast, the savvy use of big data to customize shoppers’ wants and needs has catapulted the brand equity of retailers as disparate as Whole Foods and Macy's. That's some of what Interbrand's 2014 Best Retail Brands report revealed. The annual report from the brand consultancy, released today, ranks the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands and the leading store brands internationally.

Wal-Mart has been vocal about its intention to aggressively build its online business, but there's one thing it needs to change first: getting its own in-store shoppers to shop at Walmart.com. Just 19 percent of Wal-Mart in-store shoppers shop at Walmart.com, compared to 53 percent of those who also buy at Amazon.com, according to a UBS report, citing Kantar Retail data. "Its first task will be to increase its penetration of shoppers using Walmart.com," wrote UBS Analyst Jason DeRise. "In many ways, it's missed out on the opportunity while it focused on other areas over the last 10 years."

With retailers from Wal-Mart to Staples talking about building smaller stores, you'd think that's the direction the industry is heading. This is until you see what Restoration Hardware is doing. Restoration Hardware shares on Friday surged up to 14 percent in its biggest daily percentage gain since June after the retailer of luxury home furnishings erased fears that it would follow other retailers and report disappointing results after a shorter holiday selling season and wintry weather that led to store closings. Instead, it reported a fourth-quarter profit in line with its prior forecast.

Wal-Mart this week sued Visa Inc for $5 billion, accusing the credit and debit card network of excessively high card swipe fees, several months after the retailer opted out of a class-action settlement between merchants and Visa and MasterCard. Visa declined to comment on the suit, filed Tuesday in the

Wal-Mart is trying to shake up the world of pricing once again. The retailer told The Associated Press that it's rolled out an online tool that allows shoppers to compare its prices on 80,000 food and household products to those of its competitors. The world's largest retailer began offering the feature that's called "Savings Catcher" on its website late last month in seven big markets that include Dallas, San Diego and Atlanta. The move by Wal-Mart, which has a long history of undercutting competitors, could change the way people shop and how other retailers price their merchandise. 

Talk about deja vu. It's been only four months since shoppers dodged elbows and raced through the aisles to capture Black Friday's best deals, but the sales are making a comeback at Wal-Mart for spring as the big-box retailer looks to take a bite out of the growing home improvement sector. On Friday, Wal-Mart is slashing prices and debuting deeper offerings in its outdoor living and lawn and garden segments. The move puts pressure on home improvement leaders Home Depot and Lowe's, which consider the critical spring selling season their version of Christmas. 

Recently, my son had a great shopping experience with one of his favorite brands, JackThreads. After an initial search for a hip backpack turned up empty, JackThreads sent him a personalized email 24 hours later to recommended backpacks suited to his "hipster" preferences. Just two years ago he would never have received such a personalized and helpful email. Retail industry watchers say they expect retail to change more in the next five years than it has in the last 100, and this is just one example of how.

The competition for used video games is heating up as the world's largest retailer enters the arena starting next week. Wal-Mart said Tuesday it would allow consumers to come into its stores and trade in used video games for an e-gift card for use on any item sold in Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores and online. Later this year, Wal-Mart will resell the pre-owned games in-store and online, after the games have been refurbished by CE Exchange. Wal-Mart currently works with CE Exchange on its smartphone and tablet trade-in programs.

More than two dozen attorneys general sent letters on Sunday to five of the country's largest retailers, encouraging them to stop selling tobacco products in stores that also have pharmacies, which would follow the example CVS set with its announcement earlier this year. The letters were sent to Rite Aid, Walgreens, Kroger, Safeway and Wal-Mart, five companies that are among the biggest pharmacy retailers in the country. "There's a contradiction in having these dangerous and devastating tobacco products on the shelves of a retail chain that services health care needs," the letters said.