Aug 17, 2017

With strong earnings, Walmart continues its battle with Amazon

Shannon Vavra

Walmart reported earnings and sales that beat expectations for the second quarter this year, with e-commerce sales growing for U.S. stores 60%, per a Walmart press release. Revenue was at $123.36 billion compared to an estimated $122.84 billion. Earnings were at $1.08 a share.

Why it matters: Walmart is largely avoiding the struggles hitting the rest of the industry — its size and scale enable it to compete on price with Amazon.

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Data: Money.net; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios

Context: E-commerce sales were up 63% last quarter, compared to 29% growth the prior quarter following Walmart's acquisition of internet retailer Jet. Plus, as CNBC's Lauren Thomas writes, "These days, Walmart and Amazon.com are neck and neck on pricing."

What to watch: Walmart's retail rival, Target, had a report recently that topped expectations in digital sales growth.

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Dion Rabouin

Retail's rough post-holiday ride

Data: FactSet; Chart: Axios Visuals

The U.S. stock market rose broadly on Thursday, but a number of retail stocks went south after companies revealed distressing news about their holiday sales.

What happened: J.C. Penney and Kohl’s reported lower sales during the critical months of November and December, and Macy's announced poor holiday sales and the closure of several stores.

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Erica Pandey

Amazon's year of turbulence

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Amazon's 2019 was full of headline-grabbing moments — everything from political fights to new records for the company that have upended the way we shop.

The big picture: The tech giant's year started with a fight with New York City and ended with its biggest single sales day in history. And there were plenty of dramatic days in between.

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Electric vehicles face an uncertain policy landscape in 2020

Photo: Sarah Grillo/Axios

2020 is shaping up as something of a wildcard for electric vehicle markets as automakers face an uncertain policy landscape.

What's next: The number of models available in the U.S. and worldwide is surging, per BloombergNEF.

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