Despite the revenue headwinds we discussed in the previous part of this series, Walmart (WMT) expanded its gross margin by 21 basis points to 24.6% in the first three quarters of fiscal 2016.
Costco’s suppliers include companies like PepsiCo (PEP), Procter & Gamble (PG), and the Kraft Heinz Company (KHC). No single supplier accounts for over 5% of revenue.
Walmart’s top line is expected to see no growth in fiscal 2016, which ends January 31, 2016. This is due to forex (foreign exchange) headwinds from a higher-than-expected US dollar.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the unemployment rate in the UK dropped to 5.4% in the three months to August 2015 from 5.5% in the prior period.
Amazon will now offer perishable items with its same-day delivery service in the UK. The recent move of offering perishable items indicates the company’s plans of launching its service Amazon Fresh in the UK.
Despite positive sales trends and margin expansion in four of its five-largest overseas markets, Walmart’s reported international revenue declined by 6.6% to $30.3 billion.
Walmart is among a select group of global retailers (XRT) (RTH) competing in a variety of store formats. However, Walmart dwarfs all of the other companies.
