Walmart

The agreement marks Walmarts return to the CPG industrys information-sharing model. The majority of U.S. food, drug, mass, convenience and dollar store retailers already provide Nielsen with sales information.

In 2010, a breakthrough new report proved that downstream data is a key initiative for consumer goods companies and retailers alike. This year, CGT is polling both trading partners again to determine how much headway has been made in data sharing strategies.

The first 10 spots on the annual Top 100 retailer list from STORES magazine hold the same names as last year, but pressures from the uncertain economy and the impact of online retail are forcing them to make changes to stay ahead.

As shoppers economic concerns eased somewhat in the wake of the recession, some industry observers predicted that store brands would give up their recent gains as the economy rebounded. To the contrary, store brand sales reaching $88.5 billion overall, an all-time high.

Shiloh DSR is focused on cross retailer analytics, as well as best practices for major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, and 65 others.

The mobile application is expected to make it easy for shoppers to check-in at Walmart and engage with Kimberly-Clark products at the shelf.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to accelerate the opening of mid-sized Neighborhood Market stores based on a positive ROI seen from 185 existing stores. Plus, where will new Walmart Express stores pop up next?

More than 200 consumer goods executives convened in NYC this week for the 2011 Consumer Goods Sales & Marketing Summit. In its eighth year, the event delivered invaluable insight on hot customer-facing topics with its thought-provoking agenda -- featuring Walmart, Kraft and P&G -- and abundant networking opportunities. Here is a recap of the event's many highlights.