Wal-Mart Tests Its Own Candy Store Within a Supercenter

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. began testing a candy store-within-the-store
concept in three of its Supercenters in December. The approximately 500-square-foot
to 900-square-foot Kid Connection stores replace subleased areas near the registers.

Moderator Comment: Five Questions for Wal-Mart’s Kid
Connection

Wal-Mart continues to stay focused on its “retailtainment”
strategy and it clearly sees the Kid Connection as an opportunity to drive take-home
candy sales. If this concept tests successfully, it will be interesting to see:

1. What Wal-Mart does with its existing inline candy
   sections?


2. What role single-serve candy plays in this new s-w-t-s
   and if that impacts Wal-Mart’s checkout merchandising?


3. Will Wal-Mart use this new section to add space/variety
   for lower-tier or specialty candy suppliers or will it use the Kid Connection
   to inventory more top 20 items?


4. How will Wal-Mart use this section to drive complementary
   product add-on sales?


5. If this concept works in the supercenters, will Bentonville
   export the Kid Connection or other variation to its Division 1, Neighborhood
   Market and Sam’s properties? [George Anderson – Moderator]