WALMART

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Karen Roberts was named EVP and president of Walmart Realty on Friday, filling a position vacated by the company’s long-time real estate executive Eric Zorn, who retired after a 20-year career.

DENTON, Md. — Walmart announced that it is breaking ground on a new supercenter in Maryland in September.

The company said that the 152,888-sq.-ft. supercenter, which will be located in Denton, Md., will offer customers broad product selections, including fresh quality food and everyday general needs, at value pricing. Additionally, the supercenter is expected to create at least 250 jobs.

ORLANDO — The Network of Executive Women will induct the first group of honorees into the newly created CPG Retail Diversity Hall of Fame on Monday, Sept. 19, as part of the organization’s annual Leadership Summit.

Ever see the movie “Pleasantville,” where the kid and his sister get sucked into their TV set and become trapped in a late-1950s sitcom? As the two introduce 1990s sensibilities to inhabitants of the fictitious town, the people and their surroundings slowly transform from black-and-white to color. The film is a metaphor for enlightenment, innovation and discovery.


Overdrive.


Increasingly, chains that traditionally have not been major forces in food retailing are making bigger commitments than ever to fresh — including meat, produce and dairy — in an effort not only to help solve the nation’s growing health crisis and expand Americans’ access to nutritious food options, but also to create new reasons for customers to shop their stores.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club is highlighting health-and-wellness issues through its latest campaign, and has pledged to donate up to $2 million to four nonprofits.

The retailer's 2011 Giving Made Simple campaign allows Sam's Club members and associates to direct a portion of the company's donations to four health-related nonprofit organizations: Alliance for a Healthier Generation, OASIS, Sesame Street and The Y.


NEW YORK — The race is on to capture tomorrow’s click-and-pick shopper — that multichannel consumer who, with a click, wields her phone as an omniscient shopping tool and then either picks her product off the shelf or picks where that product will be waiting for her, be it at a nearby store or in her mailbox. 


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club is helping parents prepare for the back-to-school season by offering free children's health and ID screenings at stores nationwide on July 9.