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Wal-Mart Drops Hyphen, Targets Latinos
By Renee DeFranco
Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:57:13 GMT
Apparently, Wal-Mart has more up its sleeve than Girl Scout cookies. Recently, it announced it's giving its name and logo a makeover by dropping the hyphen. Why? Wal-Mart (or Walmart) claims it:
"is simply a reflection of the refresh taking place inside our stores and our renewed sense of purpose to help people save money so they can live better."
In other words, we're not really sure why.
But just around the time the retail giant decided to lose the hyphen, it also decided to add a little something to the mix: Latino flair. Last week, Wal-Mart rolled out a Latino-themed warehouse club.
Plus, for business news and personal-finance updates, follow Comcast.net Finance on Twitter.
The Houston-based store called Más Club, which is essentially a Sam's Club spinoff, provides "a tortilla bakery, 20 varieties of fresh-made Mexican pastries, a butcher shop slicing custom cuts of pork, and ethnic delicacies such as cow tongues," according to The Wall Street Journal's article (subscription required). Alas, authentic Mexican food meets American-style bulk sizes… and a $30 membership fee.
The move targets recent Hispanic immigrants yearning for the familiar foods and culture of home, according to WSJ reporter Miguel Bustillo, with aisles "filled with soccer jerseys of Club Deportivo Guadalajara of Mexico, and FC Barcelona of Spain, as well as soda and candy from Femsa SA and Chupaletas SA." What's more, Más Club's bright orange, green and red signs are in Spanish, with English underneath. Its friendly greeters speak Spanish. There's also a health clinic and money-transfer service inside the store.
Most of what Wal-Mart touches during the economic downturn turns to gold, as its second-quarter earnings report released today confirms. Can the same be said for its hyphen-ectomy and Más Club? Only time will tell…
Do you think Wal-Mart's Latino-themed warehouse club is a smart move? Would you like to see the company experiment with other concepts? Sound off here.
Message Edited by Renee_DeFranco on 08-13-2009 05:10 PM
By Renee DeFranco
Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:57:13 GMT
Apparently, Wal-Mart has more up its sleeve than Girl Scout cookies. Recently, it announced it's giving its name and logo a makeover by dropping the hyphen. Why? Wal-Mart (or Walmart) claims it:
"is simply a reflection of the refresh taking place inside our stores and our renewed sense of purpose to help people save money so they can live better."
In other words, we're not really sure why.
But just around the time the retail giant decided to lose the hyphen, it also decided to add a little something to the mix: Latino flair. Last week, Wal-Mart rolled out a Latino-themed warehouse club.
Plus, for business news and personal-finance updates, follow Comcast.net Finance on Twitter.
The Houston-based store called Más Club, which is essentially a Sam's Club spinoff, provides "a tortilla bakery, 20 varieties of fresh-made Mexican pastries, a butcher shop slicing custom cuts of pork, and ethnic delicacies such as cow tongues," according to The Wall Street Journal's article (subscription required). Alas, authentic Mexican food meets American-style bulk sizes… and a $30 membership fee.
The move targets recent Hispanic immigrants yearning for the familiar foods and culture of home, according to WSJ reporter Miguel Bustillo, with aisles "filled with soccer jerseys of Club Deportivo Guadalajara of Mexico, and FC Barcelona of Spain, as well as soda and candy from Femsa SA and Chupaletas SA." What's more, Más Club's bright orange, green and red signs are in Spanish, with English underneath. Its friendly greeters speak Spanish. There's also a health clinic and money-transfer service inside the store.
Most of what Wal-Mart touches during the economic downturn turns to gold, as its second-quarter earnings report released today confirms. Can the same be said for its hyphen-ectomy and Más Club? Only time will tell…
Do you think Wal-Mart's Latino-themed warehouse club is a smart move? Would you like to see the company experiment with other concepts? Sound off here.
Message Edited by Renee_DeFranco on 08-13-2009 05:10 PM
I thought so but wanted you to clear yourself. 
jokes man
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