Top Retailers

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart on Thursday officially released its Black Friday circular on its website and Facebook page to help families save money this holiday season, and will host shopping events as early as 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark has announced that it will be joining first lady Michelle Obama and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at the fourth annual "Business Steps Up: Hiring our Heroes" event to be held Thursday in Washington, D.C.

CHICAGO — Walgreens now has certified more than 500 of its pharmacies as HIV Centers of Excellence in communities highly impacted by HIV, as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the pharmacy operator announced Thursday at the U.S. Conference on AIDS.

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Walmart is looking to offer shoppers ways to access Walmart both in-store and online with the launch of new mobile applications for iPhone and iPad devices.

Walmart said the free apps are the first of several mobile products to be rolled out from the recently formed @WalmartLabs group under Walmart's global e-commerce unit.

The updated iPhone app includes such new features as:

• Voice: Users can add items to shopping list by speaking, typing or scanning bar codes;

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid has launched a new photo website that it said would make ordering prints, photo books, calendars and photo gifts easier, the retail pharmacy chain said Wednesday.

The company said items ordered through the website, Mywayphotos.riteaid.com, can be mailed to any address or picked up at any Rite Aid store.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears and Kmart have entered the future of staying connected to consumers introducing mobile shopping walls in high-traffic areas.

The shopping walls, which will feature top toys that customers can purchase from their smartphones by scanning the products' QR code, will be available in select malls across the United States, and, for Kmart only, in movie theater lobbies in major markets. Additionally, shoppers can find the Sears and Kmart mobile walls in airports in Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Puerto Rico, and at bus shelters nationwide.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe flu shots prevent the flu, but only half plan to get the shot this year, according to the "Safeway Seasonal Wellness Survey," conducted by Kelton Research.

This is especially surprising, given that 89% said getting a flu shot is “as important” (50%) or “more important” (39%) than it was five years ago.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — According to a request for information released Tuesday and reported by Kaiser Health News, Walmart is in the process of piecing together a comprehensive low-cost primary care healthcare platform.

However, Walmart later denied this report in a statement released to the public on Wednesday. "The RFI statement of intent is overwritten and incorrect. We are not building a national, integrated, low-cost primary care healthcare platform," stated John Agwunobi, SVP and president of Walmart U.S. health and wellness.