Tag Archives: wmt

Amazon Faces Hurdles In Grocery Delivery Expansion

Amazon.com seems to be eyeing a lot of possibilities with Prime Pantry, a service that lets Amazon Prime members order up to 45 pounds of canned or packaged items — cereal, paper towels, soft drinks, etc. — and get it shipped to their homes for a flat rate of $5.99. The service, which launched in late April, targets the mass market for nonperishable groceries. Analysts say it’s a stab at rivals such as Costco (COST) and Wal-Mart (WMT). Observers

3D printer sales could get boost from Amazon, Wal-Mart

Retail giants such as Amazon.com and Wal-Mart Stores could give 3-D printing a much needed boost in the nascent consumer market, Pacific Crest Securities says. BothAmazon.com (AMZN) and Wal-Mart (WMT) have pilot programs in place involving 3-D printed objects. “We see the entrance of retail giants into 3-D printing as positive,” Pacific Crest analyst Weston Twigg said in a note Wednesday. “If large retailers embrace it, printer sales and materials usage should increase and awareness improve, benefitting companies like 3D Systems (DDD) and Stratasys (SSYS).” In March, Amazon launched a pilot program to allow service providers to sell 3-D printed objects on its website. Last October, Wal-Mart started its own pilot test, offering 3-D imaging and printing-services programs. The two programs lay a foundation for future growth, Twigg said. “Over the next few years, we anticipate that retail giants like Amazon and Wal-Mart could begin to drive an evolution in…

Wal-Mart taking on GameStop in used games; good luck with that

GameStop (GME) investors were spooked Tuesday by an announcement from Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) that the discount retailer is entering the used video game market. Used games are a major profit center for GameStop and a business the specialty retailer has successfully defended before. GameStop stock was down nearly 4%, near 38, in afternoon trading on the stock market today, while Wal-Mart stock was up a fraction. Starting March 26, Wal-Mart customers will be able to trade in video games and apply the value toward the purchase of anything sold at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, both in stores and online. The traded-in games will be refurbished and resold by Wal-Mart “in like-new condition at a great low price,” the company said in a press release. “Gaming continues to be an important business for us and we’re actively taking aim at the $2 billion pre-owned video game opportunity,” Duncan Mac Naughton, chief…