Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart has signed an agreement with the Shanghai government to establish an e-commerce headquarters in the city as part of its online strategy to gain a greater share of the country's burgeoning retail market.

Foursquare has surpassed the 10-million user mark, and the check-in site collected a number of facts about itself to complement the announcement. Target, Wal-Mart and Macy's have been noted as the most popular retail chains on the site.

Wal-Mart Canada announced that it's entered into an agreement with Target Canada to assume the leasehold interests in up to 39 sites currently operated by Zellers Inc. Specific locations will be identified later this fall. Terms of this transaction weren't disclosed.

Wal-Mart has spent 10 years fighting claims that it discriminated against female employees, but the Supreme Court victory for the company may not mean the end to litigation over discrimination claims.

Wal-Mart stores are about to get smaller. The new ones, anyway. The company still runs the giant, sprawling supercenters that we're familiar with. But now it's opening more midsized stores under the Wal-Mart Market name. 

Wal-Mart is planning to expand its test of in-store mobile specialty shops to a total of 350 supercenters this year. The in-house pilot was launched in 200 stores last fall and will be extended to an additional 150 locations this year.

At the company’s annual shareholder meeting, Wal-Mart's President and CEO Mike Duke energized associates, managers and leaders behind the goal of winning over the global customer of the future, which he called “the next generation customer.”

Wal-Mart said it would introduce a small-store format, called Wal-Mart Express, aimed at rural and urban areas without nearby grocery stores. The first prototype store, set to open this week, stands 15 feet to 20 feet tall and has 45 parking places — a big change from the typical Wal-Mart superstore with high ceilings and vast parking spots.

A report by Forrester Research titled Customer Experience Boosts Revenue shows a strong correlation between customer experience and three keys to loyal behavior: intent to buy again, reluctance to switch and likelihood to recommend. The fundamental idea here is that as a customer's relationship with a company deepens and extends, profits increase — and not just by a little. 

Have you seen the new ad campaign from Newegg.com? The online electronics retailer recently began airing spots that take aim at Best Buy — the same way Best Buy ran ads in 2009 that took aim at Wal-Mart.