Wal-Mart Thinks Spring

Wal-Mart this month kicks off the first in a series of "Backyard is Back" events for spring merchandising. Taking place in the lawn and garden departments of participating stores, the event showcases gardening products, barbecue supplies and other merchandise and features sampling, a planting activity for children and a calendar giveaway. Participating vendors include Clorox Co., Scotts Co., MTD Products and PepsiCo's Frito-Lay. The event will run in three flights on Feb. 25, March 11 and April 22. Bentonville, AR-based Wal-Mart this week reported that sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006 (ended 1/31/06) increased 8.6% to $89.3 billion, while sales for the full year increased 9.5% to $312.4 billion. Comparable-store sales increased 3.1% for the quarter and 3.4% for the year. In other news, Wal-Mart said it will remodel up to 1,800 older stores over the next 18 months to make them more consistent with newer stores. The upgrade will focus on the home furnishings, apparel, electronics and food departments, and will incorporate such elements as wider aisles, faux wood floors, and digital TV display walls. Elsewhere:The company said it will increase its marketing staff by as much as 30% (or 60 new hires) in 2006 as it continues to place a greater strategic emphasis on the practice. One objective is to convince shoppers to buy from more categories: its most recent TV and print campaign urges shoppers to "look beyond the basics." (See "Marketing at Wal-Mart" in Related Articles for more on the chain's strategy.) The company will distribute 23 circulars in 2006, up from the 13 that has been standard for at least several years. The circulars will have fewer pages but be "more customer-focused and relevant ... by [dropping] closer to key events and holidays," said Eduardo Castro-Wright, Wal-Mart Stores president and chief executive officer, during a conference call with analysts. (They apparently won't be as employee-focused, however: Wal-Mart abandoned its policy of using employees and their relatives as circular models in 2005.)The Metro 7 apparel line will roll out to 1,500 stores by September 2006. An "urban fashion" line of clothing, Metro 7 launched last year in 500 stores. Wal-Mart operates 1,209 Wal-Mart stores, 1,980 Supercenters, 567 Sam's Clubs and 101 Neighborhood Markets throughout the U.S.

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