Last year, for the first time in Wal-Mart Stores Inc's 48-year history, more than half of the revenue generated at the group's US outlets came from grocery sales.
In an annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Wal-Mart revealed that groceries accounted for 51 per cent of sales through its US network of supercentres, disocunt stores and neighbourhood markets.
The recent increase in grocery sales has been attributed largely to the group's strategy of converting existing stores into supercentres (covering at least 100,000ft2) and extending the range of goods they sell to include fresh produce, meat and other grocery supplies.
The retailer now operates some 2,750 supercentres in the US, while the number of traditional discount stores has fallen from 1,350 in 2005 to just over 800.
No comments yet