Just as America has gotten used to Walmart’s mammoth supercenters, the retailer says it plans to focus on smaller stores, as well, to better expand in U.S. urban markets.

At a presentation for investors in Rogers, Ark., Walmart executives laid out its growth plans for the next several years, which will include between 30 and 40 smaller stores in its fiscal 2012, as well as between 155 and 165 large stores. It also plans to add between 7 and 12 additional Sam’s Clubs.

“Over the next few years, we will introduce new formats to help us enter new markets,” Walmart U.S. President and CEO Bill Simon says in the company’s release following the meeting. “Walmart U.S. will move toward a three-format portfolio, which will drive expansion to urban markets and small towns, as well as fill in gaps in existing markets.”

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Delivering the retail keynote at Nielsen’s Consumer 360 conference this afternoon, Sam’s Club President and CEO Brian Cornell said that retailing today can be a “daunting task” and understanding what is important to your consumers and what value means to them is key to retailing success in the “new normal.”

Cornell noted that while everything around us is changing, we’re also dealing with the tough realities of the current economy. Consumers’ expectations have changed dramatically and they have recognized the need to change their behavior.

“For the first time in my 20-year CPG career, consumers have aligned their attitudes and actions. They are absolutely harmonized,” he said.

Cornell outlined two major consumer trends important to retailing success today, the first being a shifting consumer landscape, including aging baby boomers and young multicultural families. Understanding today’s consumer requires the realization that dad is just as important as mom in the shopper decision trip, that many consumers are likely thinking about making healthy lifestyle adjustments and that consumers are connected. A big part of today’s consumer’s recreation is tied to a keyboard or smartphone.

The second major consumer trend retailers are thinking about a lot today is the return to basics, or home economics.

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The company that Wal-Mart chose to take over promotions at its Sam’s Club stores, at a cost of about 10,000 jobs, is already almost exclusively devoted to serving the Bentonville, Arkansas, retail giant.

Shopper Events LLC already manages events like product demonstrations and tastings at Wal-Mart’s flagship retail stores. According to its website and LinkedIn profile, its mission is: “to apply a standard of excellence to the in-store event in order to increase customer demand, align with key branding initiatives, and enhance the shopping experience at Wal-Mart.”

The privately-held company, founded in 2008, has been handling promotions in Wal-Mart Supercenters since Super Bowl Sunday, 2009. Now, it will be doing the same kind of thing for Sam’s Club.

Sam’s Club announced over the weekend that it would be off-loading 11,000 employees and outsourcing its in-store demonstrations to Shopper Events LLC, based in Rogers, Arkansas, not far from Wal-Mart’s Bentonville headquarters. Sam’s officials said employees losing their jobs would have the opportunity to apply for similar positions with Shopper Events.

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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam’s Club eliminated 10,000 demo associate positions and appointed third-party marketing company Shopper Events to facilitate product sampling, it announced here Sunday.

Its new “Tastes and Tips” demo program will include integrated demo stations, signage, uniforms and product selling.

Affected employees will have the opportunity to apply for positions with Shopper Events, which expects to hire the same number of people, said President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell in a letter to associates.

Shopper Events is the company that manages Wal-Mart’s “Bright Ideas” in-store demo program. Shopper Events requires that personnel responsible for executing these demos are W-2 and I-9 employees who’ve underground background checks and are food safety certified.

The company that was formed by competing sales agencies Advantage Sales and Marketing and Crossmark, took over the task at Wal-Mart to improve the in-store experience.

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Target is experimenting with in-store bulk sales for the next few months in an attempt to attract customers from membership-based club stores Costco and Sam’s Club.

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Source: BNET

Walmart-owned Sam’s Club and Tesco-operated Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets may be on opposite ends of the store-size scale, but they both are emphasizing adult beverages to help them stand out from the competition

In 241 locations where it can sell alcoholic beverages, Sam’s Club is rolling out premium French distilled vodka under a sub brand – Rue 33 – of its Member’s Mark private label. In fact, Rue 33 is the first spirit to emerge from the Member’s Mark brand…

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Source: Bloomberg

Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said it is closing 10 “financially underperforming” Sam’s Club locations in the U.S.

Walmart said on its Web site it will close stores in Nampa, Idaho; Rolling Meadows, Illinois; Clay, New York; and in the California cities of La Quinta and Irvine. The company will also shutter locations in the Houston, Phoenix and Sacramento markets. About 1,500 Sam’s employees will be affected. The retailer employs more than 1.4 million people in the U.S.

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