Wal-Mart

Chicago -- Wal-Mart Stores said Monday it has launched site work for a new store in Chatham, Ill. The new superstore is expected to create 400 new jobs and open in spring 2012. According to Wal-Mart, it is one of nine new locations now planned in the Chicagoland area and is part of the retailer’s previously announced "Chicago Community Investment Partnership," a five-year plan to open several dozen stores, create approximately 10,000 jobs and 2,000 unionized construction jobs, generate more than $500 million in sales and property taxes and develop charitable partnerships worth $20 million. Construction of the Chatham

New Delhi, India -- A Monday report by Bloomberg said that an Indian governmental panel recommended easing market-entry restrictions, making Wal-Mart Stores’ and Carrefour SA’s path into the India retail market potentially much easier. Citing a finance ministry official as its source, Bloomberg reported that a panel of New Delhi bureaucrats recommended on Friday that overseas companies be allowed to own up to 51% of stores that sell more than one brand if they invest a minimum of $100 million. “It would get in new players to the market -- you’d have more efficiencies coming in,” Abhishek Ranganathan, a

Target, Kohl's and J.C. Penney ranked highest among discounters in consumer perception in the first half of 2011, according to YouGov BrandIndex. The company interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample, more than 1.2 million interviews per year. Here's YouGov’s Retail Buzz scores for discounters in the first half of 2011: Target (33.9), Kohl's (29.5), J.C. Penney (23.9), Costco (23.3), Dollar Tree (16.2), Wal-Mart (15.7), Sam's Club (15.4), Big Lots (15.4) and Dollar General (13.8).

Major retailers including Wal-Mart, Walgreens and SUPERVALU are teaming up with Michelle Obama to open or expand a total of 1,500 stores in communities that are designated as "food deserts," or have limited access to nutritious food. The pledges, secured by the First Lady's Partnership for a Healthier America, will aid the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which aims to financially assist stores that open in areas where finding affordable health food can be difficult.

Forrester Research Analyst Sucharita Mulpuru was on hand at the Retail Email Exchange symposium in San Diego last month to offer best practices for four current trends in the e-commerce space. Looking to debunk conventional wisdom, Mulpuru advised that things often turn out to be different than they initially appear. With that in mind, here are the four trends that Mulpuru addressed:

_ Teamsters Leader Says Retailer Contributes To Economic Woes WASHINGTON, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today issued the following statement about the White House event recognizing retailers that expand in underserved communities: (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100127/IBTLOGO) "I admire First Lady Michelle Obama for her work to improve the lives of American children. However, we are very concerned that companies like Wal-Mart, which don't pay their workers a decent wage, condemn children in this country to poverty, poor nutrition and shrinking prospects for their futures. "Wal-Mart's CEO recently commented that the company's shoppers are 'running out of

Cape Town, South Africa -- A Tuesday report by Bloomberg said that South Africa’s parliament will let anti-trust regulators decide what conditions to impose on Wal-Mart Stores in its acquisition of Massmart Holdings Ltd. The Competition Tribunal ruled on May 31 that Wal-Mart could proceed with its $2.4 billion purchase of a controlling stake in Johannesburg-based wholesaler Massmart on condition no jobs are cut for two years. The tribunal’s decision is being appealed by the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union in the Competition Appeal Court.

For the former child stars and current fashion entrepreneurs, one project at a time is never enough: in addition to their successful The Row label and Wal-Mart fashion range, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have launched their new online venture StyleMint.

The usual suspects top this year's National Retail Federation's list of the 100 biggest retailers. But giants like Wal-Mart, Kroger and Target need to be on the lookout for two nontraditional retailers that could threaten their coveted spots.

Wal-Mart employs more than 2 million people and controls about 13.4 percent of the consumer market in the U.S. But Amazon controls one-third of e-commerce sales in the U.S. and could put up a fight.