Walmart to Offer Special Layaway Option this Christmas

Families Can Shop Their Wish Lists Early and Pay Later

BENTONVILLE, Ark.- To help families deliver a big Christmas this year, Walmart announced today that it will offer a Christmas layaway program for two of the season's most popular gift categories, electronics and toys. Available at all stores nationwide, the program will kick off on Oct. 17 and run through Dec. 16, with plenty of time for the gifts to take their rightful place under the Christmas tree.

Walmart announced the news to its nearly 9 million Facebook fans, many whom have expressed their desire for Walmart's layaway service. Customers have indicated that they are most interested in layaway for toys and electronics, and that during the holidays is when they need layaway the most.

"We're always looking for ways to ease budget strain for our customers, and we know this holiday season in particular brings with it additional financial pressure," said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer, Walmart. "Our layaway program for Christmas, along with our every day low prices and great variety of gifts, will provide a worry-free way for our customers to fulfill their families' Christmas wish lists."

Walmart's Christmas layaway program will enable customers to make payments when they want and for how much they want on the hottest Christmas gifts. Toy and electronic gifts with a retail price of $15 or more will be eligible*, including dozens of toys on Rollback to $15 starting Sept. 12, such as Leapfrog Scribble and Write, Disney Princess Toddler Doll, Transformers 3 Mechtech and select Lego playsets. Other great gifts at an every day low price included in the Christmas layaway program are bicycles, HDTVs, and video games.

"Our customers told us they want a hassle-free layaway option during the holiday season," said Mac Naughton. "With our Christmas layaway program, they can focus on what's important to them during the Christmas season instead of stressing over mandated payments or how to tuck money away for gifts."

Layaway payments can be made at any register. Putting an item on layaway and picking up layaway orders is done at the Walmart.com counter in the majority of stores.  Pick up hours are 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. local time.  Layaway orders and pick up will not be accepted on the day after Thanksgiving.

Walmart will be Official Event Stores for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Dec. 3 - Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced today that it will collaborate with FIFA's exclusive worldwide master licensee, Global Brands Group (GBG), to operate 2010 FIFA World Cup Official Event Stores in nearly all of its retail markets around the world. Walmart will feature FIFA event branded shops inside select stores that will offer exclusive FIFA World Cup(TM) official licensed products and host special events leading up to the games.

"We want soccer fans around the world to participate in the world's most spectacular sporting event by giving them access to exclusive FIFA World Cup merchandise at a great price," said John Aden, senior vice president, Walmart International. ''This is a unique opportunity for us to leverage our global scale, bringing the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa(TM) experience to Walmart stores for our local customers."

The FIFA World Cup will begin June 11, 2010 and finish July 11, 2010. More than 26 billion cumulative viewers watched the 64 matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup(TM). Soccer is by far the biggest sport in Europe, South America, Africa and the majority of markets in Asia.

Jerome Valcke, FIFA Secretary General, said, "This is an important milestone in our goal to connect with fans around the world. Given Walmart's global leadership position in the retail industry, it is the ideal platform to showcase the world-class merchandise we have been developing specifically for the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM)."

Mark Matheny, CEO and Co-Chairman of Global Brands Group, said, "We are delighted to work with Walmart for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the 105 year history of the association, this is the first time that such a coordinated retail presence with one retailer has been achieved."

All 2010 FIFA World Cup branded merchandise will be customized for the country where it will be sold. With everything from hats and bags, to soccer balls and T-shirts, fans who visit the shops will be able to support their team like never before. Walmart stores in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom and the United States are anticipated to participate.

Wal-Mart Standards Fail in China, Worker Rights Abused, Report Shows

NEW YORK, Nov 25 - Workers making shoes, Christmas lights, tools, curtains and paper boxes sold at Wal-Mart stores labor in illegal and degrading conditions. China Labor Watch's latest investigation of five Wal-Mart supplier factories reveals that not a single factory has implemented Wal-Mart's basic standards, and a total of 10,000 workers included in the report suffer serious rights abuses.

"This is not about a single factory, but about Wal-Mart's inability to implement its standards," says CLW Executive Director, Li Qiang. In the report, CLW attributes this failure to ineffective auditing and a pricing structure that forces factories to sell goods at unsustainable prices. As the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart leverages its massive product orders to purchase goods at low prices, and workers suffer the financial burden.

As Wal-Mart gears up for holiday sales, workers at all five factories work at least 3 hours of overtime/day, for 100-140 total hours of overtime/month, and one factory routinely schedules overtime through the night. Two of the factories illegally underpay overtime wages at rates as low as $0.44/hour, and two withhold wages from workers who fail to meet production quotas. Workers' low wages are further undermined by excessive fines and unpaid days off or maternity leave, and some workers cannot even purchase social security!

Worker abuse extends beyond paychecks. Workers at two factories are denied gloves on the grounds that it will slow production. Dormitory conditions are so poor that at one factory, there is no running water in the bathrooms. Canteen meals are extremely poor and workers often complain of hunger pangs, and one factory forbids workers from leaving the factory to eat. Worst of all, two of the factories have rules forcing workers to lie to Wal-Mart auditors, forcing workers into silence as Wal-Mart turns a blind eye to sweatshop conditions.

Violations at these randomly selected factories represent poor conditions across Wal-Mart's supply chain in China. Wal-Mart has already pledged to remediate these five factories. But with tens of thousands of Wal-Mart supplier factories in China, CLW does not seek a piecemeal approach to factory remediation. Rather, CLW urges Wal-Mart to address its systematic failure to purchase goods made in legal conditions, according to its own basic standards.

Wal-Mat leaving Japan

Wal-Mart Announces Tender Offer for Full Ownership of Seiyu, Its Japanese Subsidiary



BENTONVILLE, Ark. and TOKYO, Oct. 22 - So, It,s now confirm that Wal-Mart is leaving Japan. According to a statement today make by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., ("Wal-Mart") (NYSE: WMT) says, it will launch a tender offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of its Japanese subsidiary, The Seiyu, Ltd. ("Seiyu") (TSE: 8268), that it does not already own. The offer is being made with the endorsement of the Seiyu Board of Directors, which today passed a resolution of support.
The tender offer price is 140 yen per common share. This represents a
premium of 60.9% over the closing price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on
October 19, and a premium of 34.6% over the average closing price for the
prior three months.
Wal-Mart currently owns 50.9% of Seiyu. The tender offer represents an
additional investment by Wal-Mart of up to 100 billion yen (approximately
$862 million).
"Today's announcement is a reaffirmation of our commitment to Japan,
the second largest economy in the world," said Mike Duke, Vice Chairman of
Wal- Mart Stores, Inc. "The Japanese retail market is of major strategic
importance to Wal-Mart, and our goal is to achieve long-term success and
growth in Japan."
"Full ownership by Wal-Mart is the best way for Seiyu and Wal-Mart to
accelerate the delivery of long-term benefits to our customers, the
communities we serve, our associates and our business partners," explained
Duke.
The tender offer will commence on October 23, 2007 and will be open for
30 business days, closing on December 4, 2007. Wal-Mart's minimum objective
through the tender offer is to achieve ownership of at least two thirds of
Seiyu's common shares. Following a successful tender offer, Wal-Mart
intends to take additional steps to acquire all of the remaining shares,
which would result in the delisting of Seiyu shares from the Tokyo Stock
Exchange.
Seiyu and Wal-Mart entered into an alliance in May 2002. Wal-Mart
became the majority owner of Seiyu at the end of 2005, and has since
committed substantial resources with the aim of improving Seiyu's corporate
value.
Both Seiyu and Wal-Mart now believe that it is in both companies' best
interests for Seiyu to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wal-Mart, to
ensure that Seiyu can benefit most fully from Wal-Mart's support.
"As a wholly-owned subsidiary, Seiyu will have increased flexibility to
invest in merchandising, store renovation, distribution and logistics,"
said Duke. "Our Japanese associates will benefit from these steps to
enhance the company's performance. In addition, this provides reassurance
to our business partners and increases confidence in Seiyu's strength and
future prospects.
Duke added, "Wal-Mart's mission of saving people money so they can live
better means that Seiyu can leverage Wal-Mart's global ability to offer
great value and pass those benefits on to our customers in Japan."

note---You can only laugh on these claims....