Wal-Mart launches "Your Zone" home furnishing line

Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday that it is launching "Your Zone", a new line of home furnishings aimed at teenagers.

The collection, which includes bedding, rugs, curtains, pillows and bulletin boards, is arriving in its U.S. Walmart discount stores and is now being sold on its website, Walmart.com.

Walmart said the bedding includes comforter sets that are priced from $28 to $40, and sheet sets that are priced from $12 to $24. Furniture and lounge seating will arrive in stores in late spring, it said.

To try to boost sales in its home business, Walmart has been adding new home furnishings brands, like Better Homes and Gardens, and remodeling the home section in its stores.

REUTERS

Bangor Walmart Donates Money To Charity

The Bangor Walmart has donated $2000 each to the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Good Shepherd Food Bank.

Officials from both organizations say they are thankful for the contribution.

The Pine Tree Chapter provides food, clothing and emergency shelter to victims of house fires and other disasters. This year, the organization has responded to more than 150 house fires since last summer and assisted more than 400 people.

"It's extraordinarily important. There have been more house fires in the Bangor area and throughout eastern and northern Maine than at any other time since the Red Cross began its service nearly 100 years ago," said Mike Sirota, development director for the Pine Tree Red Cross.

Dan Holmes with the Good Shepherd Food Bank says that to his agency a $2000 donation is more like a $25,000 donation since Good Shepherd is able to buy food for discounted prices.

"We see a lot of agencies that come in and a powerful amount of food going out the door and in turn they take that to put into their community to give out to people who come to the pantry. So our food that is going out the door has tremendously increased in the past year," he said.
WCSH6

Great Falls Child Honored at Walmart

Eleven-year-old Zach Bell arrived at Walmart by limousine to attend a ceremony in his honor. Children's Miracle Network, Walmart, and Sam's Club introduced Zach as Montana's Champion in the annual Champions Across American Program.

The Great Falls native spent four months at Helena's Shodair Children's Hospital, where he was successfully treated for psychiatric disorders including major depression. Today Zach is confident and happy.
The Champions Across America Program selects a child with an incredible medical story from every state. Zach will travel to Washington D.C. and Walt Disney World where he will be honored.

KFBB5

Walmart's Revamped Great Value Brand Delivers Affordable, Quality Choices When Consumers Need Them Most

At a time when families need to make every penny count, Walmart today released new details about the expansion and enhancement of its Great Value brand in the United States. The new, improved Great Value products - which will begin appearing on shelves this month - provide families with affordable, high quality grocery and household consumable options comparable to national brands. The retailer's Great Value brand, first introduced in 1993, spans more than 100 categories and is the country's largest food brand in both sales and volume.
With a strong focus on better quality, Walmart worked with several hundred suppliers and product testing facilities to:
Test more than 5,250 products against leading national brands to ensure Great Value quality is equal to or better;
Conduct more than 2,700 consumer tests to compare the flavor, aroma, texture, color, and appearance of Great Value products against leading national brands;
Change the formulas for 750 items including: breakfast cereal, cookies, yogurt, laundry detergent, and paper towels; and
Introduce more than 80 new products, such as: thin crust pizza, fat free caramel swirl ice cream, strawberry yogurt, organic cage-free eggs, double stuffed sandwich cookies, teriyaki beef jerky and more, all at unbeatable prices.
"Walmart remains committed to providing our customers with quality national and private brand products at unbeatable prices," said Andrea Thomas, Walmart's senior vice president of private brands. "Through our Great Value brand re-launch, we are delivering on our promise to provide customers with the quality products they need and want at a price they can afford to help them save money and live better."
According to new consumer data from GfK Custom Research North America, 75 percent of shoppers, say the "current economic conditions" are playing a big role in their decision whether to purchase national or grocery store brands. Additionally, three out of 10 consumers in the study say they are now "buying more store brand products" compared to a year ago, and more than 77 percent of respondents "agree" that the store brands they buy "are as good as, if not better than, national brand products."
In addition to product testing, Walmart redesigned Great Value packaging graphics to create a consistent, recognizable look throughout the store, making it easier for customers to find their favorite products. The new Great Value packaging offers easy-to-read nutrition labels and more appetizing food photography. Walmart also reduced packaging when possible as part of the company's sustainability goals.
Walmart is so confident in the quality of its Great Value products that the company guarantees every product.
The retailer plans to continue its focus on quality through a new Quality Monitoring Program, which will provide ongoing evaluation of the quality of products from the factory to the shelves.
Walmart is supplementing its quality promise with a staffed toll free number for product inquiries. Additionally, customers can find product information at www.walmart.com.
Walmart is asking customers to share their favorite Great Value items by encouraging them to rate the products and offer reviews on walmart.com.
The product re-launch is beginning this month with the majority of products appearing on store shelves by the end of May.

PRNEWSWIRE

Walmart Donates $1.2 Million to Park

Physically challenged children in Clay County are closer to having a special playground following a $1.2 million donation Tuesday, March 10, by Walmart Corp. to the Clay County Commission.

The company also donated 16 acres behind its store at 899 Blanding Blvd. for a "Boundless Playground," which will include swings, a picnic area and trails that physically challenged children can use. The largest part of the park, however, will be a special softball field made of rubber to allow children in wheelchairs to play the game.

Company officials and County Commissioners were on hand at the store for a ceremonial check presentation.

"I am thrilled to make this grant and to jumpstart the project," said Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart’s senior manager for public affairs and government relations in Florida.

Walmart agreed when it purchased the former Hall Ace Hardware property to develop area behind the store into a park. Residents initially raised some concerns about traffic because early designs had an access road connecting Blanding to Moody Avenue, but those plans were later altered.

The $1.2 million will allow the county to begin developing the yet-unnamed park and install infrastructure, said county parks director Tom Price. At least another $1 million will be needed to complete the park -- money the county hopes to get through applying for state or federal grants or private donations.

Once architects complete their work, county crews will start building the parking lot and other basic work, he said.

"We should get started in about a year," Price said. "It will take two or three years to complete all of it."

Former Commissioner Harold Rutledge was on hand for the check presentation. It was Rutledge who suggested the county develop the site as a Boundless Playground after plays for a similar park in Lake Asbury didn’t materialize.

County planners initially wanted to ask for only $200,000 from the company, but Rutledge said he felt Walmart would donate more and urged the planners to seek the $1.2 million.

"It’s truly a great day for the kids of Clay County and the adults, too," Rutledge said during the ceremony attended by about two dozen store employees.

Commission Chairman Wendell Davis accepted the check on behalf of the County Commission. He thanked the company for making the donation during difficult economic times.

"A grant of $1.2 million is very helpful and goes a long way," Davis said.

The property has gone undeveloped for nearly two years, making some to wonder if the park would become a reality. Going on behind the scenes, though, were continuing discussions with architects about what amenities the Boundless Playground should include, said Jill McElyea of Orange Park.

She and her husband, Brian, started a non-profit organization, Bri’s Endless Horizons Inc. after hearing about plans for the park. The organization is named after their 14-year-old daughter, Brienna, who has cerebral palsy.

"We decided we could wait or we could become part of the solution," Brian McElyea said.

There are currently 10 Boundless Playgrounds in Florida.

Brian McElyea said they’re hopeful the challenge baseball league his daughter nows plays in at NAS Jacksonville can move to the new park once it’s completed.

There are very few places for physically challenged children to play in Clay County, even though there are an estimated 9,000 kids with some kind of disability, he said.

"We very excited to have the commissioners’ support in this," he said. "These parks allow children with and without disabilities to play together through inclusion. It’s just beautiful."

CLAYTODAY

Walmart Keeping Economy Strong

While major retail stores struggle to increase sales, a new report shows Walmart now leads the way. A report from the research firm Retail Metrics showed a .7% sales gain in February compared to last year, but without Walmart, retail sales would've dropped 4%. The big red letters spell Walmart on the outside, on the inside bargain prices have enticed a store full of shoppers.

Shopper: "It's got good prices."

Shopper: "Walmart is the place to come to get the discounts."

Shopper: "This is the most economical place and I get the best deals."

Deals that have made shoppers steer their carts away from other stores.

Shopper: "I was a Meijer shopper turned Walmart."

Shopper: "The only thing I do at Meijer is my meat and produce."

While low prices are drawing in more shoppers, some people say, in these tough times, Walmart is the only option to buying the things they need.

Shopper: "I have a family and it helps the dollar stretch a lot further. Anything I have needs for, this is generally where I end up."

Shopper: "We know the economy is down, you want to make that dollar go as far as it can."

And for shoppers at Walmart, that means stretching the dollar a long way.

Millie Peterson, Lansing resident: "Pine Sol, shirts for my nephew and I have some Slim Fast."

Shopper: "The deals are getting better and better."

Deals that have Walmart leading the way with more consumer spending and breaking the trend of low sales. The world's biggest retailer reported a 5% sales increase over the same month last year. That's better than the 2.4% analysts had predicted.

WLNS