superstores

The days of tiny online orders shipping to customers in oversized boxes are a step closer to becoming a thing of the past. Big retailers are rolling out machines in their e-commerce distribution operations that make packages sized specifically to fit the items being shipped, potentially reining in some of the big volumes of cardboard generated as online shopping has grown.  Walmart Inc. said it has installed machines that churn out custom boxes at 12 of its fulfillment centers, and plans to…

As ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence programs infiltrate workplaces, white-collar jobs are transforming the fastest.That professional and office work is changing so fast is according to a panel of executives who addressed thousands of professionals and job seekers at Tuesday’s WSJ Jobs Summit. The biggest workplace challenge so far this year across industries is how to adapt to the rapidly evolving role of AI in office work, they say.…

The commercial relationships between retailers and their suppliers that shifted under the strains of the Covid-19 pandemic are transforming again as companies cope with continuing changes in consumer spending and high costs across their supply chains.Large companies including Walmart Inc. and Whole Foods Market are pressing suppliers to cut prices for goods while others have been canceling orders for products from clothing to appliances. That is a stark change from buying strategies as…

Global real-estate investment manager Hines is paying $112 million for a suburban New York shopping center featuring a Whole Foods, the largest grocery-anchored retail sale in the U.S. since September.The sale of the 262,000-square-foot property in White Plains, N.Y., shows how demand for grocery-store complexes persists, despite rising interest rates and slowing activity for other property types. These outlets have become increasingly attractive as the pandemic winds down and consumers return to shopping in person.…

Walmart Inc. WMT 0.25% Chief Executive Doug McMillon plans to helm the country’s largest retailer for at least three more years as the company continues work to identify a successor, according to people familiar with the matter.  Mr. McMillon, 56, a Walmart lifer who has held the job since 2014, is the company’s fourth CEO since founder Sam Walton. His plans to stay in the…

Walmart Inc. reported strong quarterly sales Tuesday as cash-strapped shoppers gravitated to the discount retailer for food and other essentials and continued to pay higher prices on many items compared with last year.  U.S. comparable sales, those from stores and digital channels operating for at least 12 months, rose 8.3% in the quarter ended Jan. 27, compared with the same period last year. That beat analyst expectations of 4.9% growth, according to estimates from FactSet .…

Barnes & Noble is launching a $40-a-year membership program that promises to offer 10% discounts, free shipping, a tote bag and bigger lattes to its members. In asking customers to pay an annual fee for a range of perks, the largest bookstore chain in the U.S. is following some of its competitors, including Amazon. com Inc. and Walmart Inc., whose respective Prime and Walmart+ programs offer no-minimum free shipping, among other benefits. The bookseller is…

Beyond Meat Inc. BYND 19.15% is revamping its retail sales strategy to center on five major grocers and hiring a new marketing executive as part of an effort to reinvigorate the plant-based food maker’s business.The California-based company is orienting its retail business around Kroger Co. , Walmart Inc., WMT -0.73% Publix Super Markets Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp.…

CVS Health Corp. CVS 2.23% and Walmart Inc. WMT -0.09% are cutting pharmacy hours in the midst of a pharmacist shortage that has plagued the nation’s biggest drugstore chains throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. CVS, the largest U.S. drugstore chain by revenue, plans in March to cut or shift hours at about two-thirds of its roughly 9,000 U.S. locations. Walmart plans to reduce pharmacy…

A Walmart employee stocks shelves in Secaucus, N.J. last year. The company’s recent moves have raised its average hourly pay to over  $17.50. Photo: Seth Wenig/Associated Press…