Content about BENTONVILLE

In late January, DSN.TV traveled to Bentonville, Ark., for an exclusive look at what Sam's Club is doing to win in health and wellness. In part 2, VP health and family care Jason Reiser and VP consumables George Agnacian discuss two critical aspects of Sam's Club's health-and-wellness platform — prevention and solutions — and the important role suppliers play in creating a unique and relevant offering for its members.

Bentonville, Ark. — Walmart Stores on Thursday reported profit and sales lower than Wall Street expectations as the retail giant struggled against the payroll tax increase, delayed tax returns and an unseasonably cold spring impacting its U.S. sales. The retailer also scaled back its earnings expectations for the current three-month period.

Walmart’s net income rose 1.1% to $3.8 billion. Revenue edged up 1%, to $113.4 billion.

When planning commission officials in Northwest Arkansas gave Walmart the go ahead for a 40,000-sq.-ft. store in Bentonville, Ark., back in 1998, it was the retail industry’s biggest story that year.



BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The new small-format Walmart Express stores that opened earlier this month are an interesting concept with intriguing growth potential. But for the time being, and possibly for much longer, competitors need not concern themselves with the small stores.


At least that’s what Walmart wants the marketplace to believe following the opening of the first few of the 15,000-sq.-ft. stores earlier this month in northwest Arkansas.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As promised, Walmart unveiled its smaller-format store concept, dubbed Walmart Express, this past week.

As previously reported by Drug Store News, the first store opened in the Gentry, Ark., market just in time for the company's shareholders meeting that was held last Friday morning. Two additional stores, located in Prairie Grove and Gravette, will open as soon as this week.

PITTSBURGH and BENTONVILLE, Ark. — After providing its products to Rite Aid customers through a co-branded store format for more than a decade, GNC is making its foray into the warehouse club for the first time by offering select private-label products at Sam's Club locations.

GNC's products will boost Sam's Club's current health-and-wellness offerings by extending GNC's specialty retailing brand to mass-market customers.

Just when you thought the low end of the generic drug price spectrum couldn’t get any more commoditized, the $2 price point debuted with a big splash in September 2010.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Duncan Mac Naughton, recently promoted to chief merchandising officer for Walmart’s U.S. stores division, has an opportunity to be a hero at Walmart as the nation’s largest retailer looks to restore sales growth at its U.S. stores this year and beyond.



BENTONVILLE, Ark. — It’s the kind of low-price power play that gives smaller-scale independent pharmacy owners — and chain drug store operators too, for that matter — the willies. In what promises to be another potent and potentially market-altering exercise in massive scale and competitive clout, Walmart has linked up with insurance heavyweight Humana to launch what it says will be the lowest-cost prescription drug plan for seniors who rely on Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart stores have regained a familiar feeling this holiday season, and if senior executives are right, the increased promotional intensity will halt six consecutive quarters of declining same-store sales and put the company on the right track for 2011.



BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart’s Neighborhood Market concept finally is getting its due more than 12 years after the first unit opened in late 1998. Next year, the company expected to open between 30 and 40 small stores, the majority of which will be Neighborhood Market units, in addition to a handful of pilot stores measuring less than 30,000 sq. ft. that the company views as a potential growth vehicle for either urban or rural markets.