Wal-Mart Stores - food industry company news 
On the money: Asda: We offer clear prices, not gimmicks
16 May 2013
Asda CEO Andy Clarke today (16 May) hit out at the "gimmicky" and "unsustainable" promotions of its rivals and said the UK grocer's "clarity" on prices was paying off.
UK: Asda claims "strong" Q1 after LFL sales rise
16 May 2013
Asda CEO Andy Clarke claimed the UK's second-largest grocer had put in a "strong performance in a tough market" after the retailer booked higher first-quarter like-for-like sales.
US: Wal-Mart issues lawsuit over UFCW protests
15 May 2013
Wal-Mart has launched legal action against the UFCW union in the US and its protests at the retailer's stores in California.
US: Campbell adds to Prego pasta sauce line
15 May 2013
Campbell Soup Co. has expanded its range of Prego pasta sauces in the US with a new line.
CHINA: Wal-Mart pledges investment in China food safety
13 May 2013
US retail giant Wal-Mart is to invest CNY100m (US$16.3m) over three years to improve food safety in China.
The week ahead - Wal-Mart Q1s, Post Holdings H1, ProTerra conference
13 May 2013
US breakfast cereal group Post Holdings kicks off a relatively quieter week of results with its half-year numbers on Monday. On Tuesday, meat giants Marfig and JBS will report on how it fared in the first three months of the year - as will Wal-Mart on Thursday. The week also includes an international conference in the Netherlands looking at the sustainable cultivation of soy.
US: E-commerce "next growth engine" for Wal-Mart
2 May 2013
Online will be the latest driver of Wal-Mart's growth, the chief of the world's largest retailer's e-commerce operation has claimed.
The week ahead - US retail conference; Kellogg, Kraft Q1s
29 April 2013
Wal-Mart, Kroger and Supervalu are among the US retailers presenting at a Barclays sector conference next week. The first-quarter results will continue to roll in, with Kellogg, Kraft Foods Group and Canadian retailer Loblaw part of a group of companies to publish numbers.
UK: Multichannel focus for Asda investment
23 April 2013
Asda said today (23 April) the focus of its investment has "shifted" to accelerating the expansion of its multichannel operations as it outlined plans for its online food business.
Comment: Sovereign, pension funds to vie for M&A with trade, PE
19 April 2013
Could sovereign wealth funds and pension funds become more active participants in deal-making in the FMCG industry? Perhaps so, writes Dean Best.
US: Wal-Mart eyes US$1bn savings from energy moves
16 April 2013
Wal-Mart Stores is eyeing savings of around US$1bn through a six-fold increase in its renewable energy projects as it works towards a target of only using such sources by 2020.
HORSEMEAT: Bute found in Asda corned beef
10 April 2013
The veterinary drug phenylbutazone, or bute, has been found in Asda Smart Price corned beef.
Editor's choice: the highlights on just-food this week
8 April 2013
China dominated our headlines in the first part of the week. Swiss firm Hero Group was forced to defend the safety of its infant formula in the country after allegations a local distributor mislabelled products. Wal-Mart, meanwhile, issued a statement to reiterate its expansion plans in China after it emerged it would close three stores there. Emerging markets continued to feature heavily, with news Qatar had bought a majority stake in Indian group Bush Foods Overseas. And we interviewed the CEO of ambitious Brazilian dairy group Vigor.
QATAR/INDIA: Qatari vehicle Hassad Food buys majority of India's Bush Foods
4 April 2013
Qatari investment vehicle Hassad Foods has bought a majority stake in Indian food supplier Bush Foods Overseas.
CHINA: Wal-Mart to maintain pace of store openings
2 April 2013
Wal-Mart Stores has publicly reiterated it has set a target of opening over 100 new stores in China in the next three years.
just the answer: Burton's Biscuit Co. CMO Stuart Wilson
2 April 2013
Burton's Biscuit Co. is the UK's second-largest biscuit maker, producing iconic brands from Jammie Dodgers to Wagon Wheels and Maryland Cookies. Earlier this month, it emerged that the company's private equity owners, Apollo Management and CIBC, have hired advisors to look at options for the business, including potential sale. Apollo and CIBC took ownership of Burton's in 2011 and, since then, the company has focused its operations, developed its strategic initiatives to drive growth and shaken up its manufacturing base to improve profitability. Burton's chief marketing officer Stuart Wilson spoke to just-food about how management plans to drive continued growth in the biscuit sector.
INDIA: Wal-Mart called to answer questions on bribery claims
25 March 2013
Wal-Mart Stores has insisted it is co-operating with the Indian government after its Asia division chief was questioned by a judge last week over alleged illegal lobbying activities.
UK: Asda launches fresh price offensive
20 March 2013
Asda, the UK arm of Wal-Mart Stores, has launched a price promotion marketing campaign, the Asda Price Lock.
Talking shop: Online opportunity in China, Thailand
5 March 2013
Online grocery retailing in China and Thailand promises great opportunities for international supermarket groups to crack these two diverse, challenging and potentially lucrative Asian markets. Andrew Don reports.
US: Muller, PepsiCo expand yoghurt distribution
27 February 2013
Muller Quaker Dairy, the joint venture between Germany's Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller and PepsiCo, is expanding the distribution of its Muller yoghurt in the US.
On the money: Price strategy paying off, insists Asda
22 February 2013
Asda CEO Andy Clarke has insisted the retailer's moves to lower prices on "essential" products are working despite sales slowing in the last three months of its financial year.
UPDATE: Wal-Mart sees low-price appeal growing in US
21 February 2013
Wal-Mart Stores today (21 February) forecast flat US sales in the first quarter of its new financial year but said its low-price strategy will become "even more relevant" to consumers.
US: Wal-Mart caution overshadows "solid" results
21 February 2013
Wal-Mart Stores today (21 February) set a forecast for first-quarter earnings below analyst estimates amid caution over the economy and consumer confidence.
HORSEMEAT: Asda finds horse DNA in Greencore chilled sauce
15 February 2013
Asda has recalled fresh sauce manufactured by private-label giant Greencore after finding horse DNA in the line - the first product outside the frozen aisle to become embroiled in the contamination scandal.
US: Kraft files Cracker Barrel lawsuit over trademark infringement
4 February 2013
Kraft Foods Group has filed a lawsuit against Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBOCS) over the US restaurant chain's plans to sell branded products in mainstream retail stores.
CANADA: Wal-Mart to invest in Canada expansion
22 January 2013
Retail giant Wal-Mart has revealed expansion plans for its Canada division that will see it invest US$450m in supercentre and distribution facility pro
The just-food review of 2012: industry makes progress on CSR
18 December 2012
From a sustainability standpoint, 2012 might be characterised as a year when the world went backwards - or at a pinch stayed still - but the food industry moved forward, writes Ben Cooper.
US: Wal-Mart, Kroger "bidders" for Hostess assets
14 December 2012
US retailers Wal-Mart Stores and Kroger are understood to be one of a number of bidders for the assets of US baker and Twinkies owner Hostess Brands.
TURKEY: Wal-Mart "in talks to buy Migros Ticaret"
13 December 2012
Wal-Mart Stores is reportedly in talks to buy Turkish retailer Migros Ticaret from UK private-equity firm BC Partners.
CANADA: XL Foods gets US clearance after e. coli scare
11 December 2012
The facility owned by Canada's XL Foods at the centre of an e. coli scare has been allowed to resume exports to the US.
