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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2018)
Page 8A BUSINESS East Oregonian Saturday, November 17, 2018 Walmart flexes its muscle against Amazon in battle for online retail BRIEFLY Community Bank accepts donations for charities The annual holiday Charity Drive for local nonprofit organizations is underway at each branch of Community Bank. People can give through Wednesday, Dec. 19 in donation jars at each branch. Community Bank will match donations of 50 cents on each dollar, up to $500 at each branch. In 2017, more than $27,000 was disbursed to charities in communities where the bank serves. Chosen charities for local branches are Pendle- ton Center for the Arts for its Free Craft Saturdays for Kids program (Pendleton), The Neighborhood Cen- ter Food Bank (Heppner), Made to Thrive program for kids (Hermiston) and the Milton-Freewater City Light & Power Energy Assistance Program. For more informa- tion, contact marketing manager Leah Johnson at ljohnson@communi- tybanknet.com, 541-207- 0717 or visit www.com- munitybanknet.com. By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK — Walmart may be bruised by Amazon, but it’s learning how to fight back. The world’s largest retailer delivered strong third-quarter results Thurs- day, extending a streak of sales growth into its 11th straight quarter that was helped by services, such as online grocery pickup. It also raised profit expecta- tions for the year heading into the holiday shopping season. Like other retailers, Walmart is benefiting from a strong job market and ris- ing consumer confidence. But retailers are also benefit- ing from the misfortunes of others. Toys R Us and Bon- Ton Stores have gone out of business, while the Sears bankruptcy is creating more opportunities to grab sales. J.C. Penney, still flounder- ing, on Thursday withdrew profit guidance and lowered its sales expectations for the year. Walmart posted strong sales across a wide range of products from toys and back-to-school items to fresh food. That helped sales at stores open at least a year rise 3.4 percent, a bit slower from the previous quarter’s 4.5 percent at Walmart’s U.S. division, which marked its best performance in more than a decade. The mea- sure, an indicator of a retail- er’s health, was helped by a 1.2 percent increase in cus- tomer traffic and a 2.2 per- cent increase in transactions. Since buying Jet.com two years ago, Walmart has been expanding online by acquir- ing brands and adding thou- sands of items. It’s also been ramping up grocery deliv- AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File Shoppers look at toys at a Walmart Supercenter in Houston. Walmart Inc. reported earnings on Thursday. ery and pickup options. Gro- cery pickup is now offered at nearly 2,100 of its 4,700 U.S. stores, while grocery deliv- ery is available in nearly 600 locations. Walmart has also revamped its website with a focus on fashion and home furnishings. That all helped to drive a 43 percent increase in online sales in the U.S. during the latest quar- ter. That was up from a 40 percent increase in the sec- ond quarter and a 33 percent increase in the first quarter. Still, Walmart’s online sales remain a fraction of Amazon’s online global merchandise empire, which hit $108 billion last year. Walmart’s U.S. online busi- ness was a mere $11.5 billion. A visit to a Walmart store in Houston last week showed generous holiday merchandise offerings, such as expanded toy aisles with large interactive toy ponies and Barbie dream campers, each selling for nearly $400. Shoes are now unboxed and hang on racks to make it eas- ier for shoppers to find them. “We’re feeling confi- dent going into this holiday season,” said Walmart U.S. CEO Greg Foran during an exclusive interview and tour last week at the Houston store. “I think the standards, the flow of merchandise, our pricing are feeling better than it was a year ago.” Walmart, based in Ben- tonville, Arkansas, is prom- ising more to come. Under Foran, Walmart is creating a tech-powered shopping experience, while trans- forming its stores into effi- cient distribution hubs that can fill online orders to reduce shipping costs and speed up deliveries. To do that, Walmart is doing more extensive training for work- ers who are taking on new roles or redefined responsi- bilities while using scanning robots and other automation. Walmart is deploying giant pickup towers that spit out online orders in hun- dreds of its stores. Custom- ers can now also better find items in the store because of digital maps on their smart- phone. Workers, armed with new apps on their mobile devices, are also able to manage routine tasks, free- ing them to serve the cus- tomer or check them out in key areas of the store. “We can provide a much better customer experience because we are in stock of the right item, at the right time and at the same time it is going to help us be much more precise,” he added. Still, Foran acknowledges it’s facing stiffer competi- tion from Amazon as well as other traditional chains like Target. Consulting firm Bain & Co. predicts that Ama- zon in the U.S. will outgrow the market and capture up to half of all e-commerce sales by the end of the year. ALL NEW 2018 Farm Fair sets table for sponsors, decorators HERMISTON — With the annual Hermiston Farm Fair coming up, peo- ple with a creative flair are invited to help out. Sponsors or decorators are still needed for several of the tables for the event’s banquet. Businesses can use the opportunity to showcase their wares or services. Those interested can either make plans to decorate a table or spon- sor a table for $200 and the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce will take care of the decorating. The agri- cultural trade show brings people in from across the Pacific Northwest. White table cloths and white linen napkins will be provided. The tables can be decorated Thursday, Nov. 29 between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hermiston Commu- nity Center, 415 S. High- way 395. Those responsi- ble for decorating the table must provide a centerpiece and additional décor for eight settings. Table guests will take home the decora- tive items. For more information about decorating a table or a sponsorship, contact Kelly Schwirse at kelly@ hermistonchamber.com or 541-567-6151. Wildhorse’s Hegarty wins merchandiser award PENDLETON — Mike Hegarty, head golf profes- sional at Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Mission, was selected as the 2018 Mer- chandiser of the Year by the Central Washington Chapter PGA. This award is based on a professional’s overall performance in merchan- dising and unusual and innovative promotion of sales, according to Tyler Brooks, the organization’s chair. The award considers the skill of planning and presenting of merchan- dise in a timely basis, and through the use of special- ized merchandising tech- niques that include display and advertising. The awards will be given out at the Cen- tral Washington Chapter Spring Meeting in March, according to Brooks. 4 , 000 $ HIGHLANDERS OFF! IN STOCK! Stk# 18h889. See dealer for details. $4,000 off msrp. $2,500 Rogers discount and $1,500 Toyota Financial Service customer cash. Plus tax, title and $75 doc fee. On approved credit. Offer expires 11/30/18. ALL NEW 2018 TUNDRAS IN STOCK! 5 , 500 $ OFF! 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