GREENSBORO, N.C. — Wal-Mart is bringing back some products it removed from shelves last year as shoppers turn to competitors for a wider selection of merchandise.
Among the items Wal-Mart is planning to return are some health and beauty supplies, cereal, pet treats, soda and laundry detergent, said Leon Nicholas, a director at consulting firm Kantar Retail.
The retailer said last month that its U.S. stores recorded a drop in sales and had a “slight decrease” in customer traffic in the quarter that ended in January.
“Wal-Mart cut too deep, and now they’re going back to manufacturers,” said Michael Kantor, chief executive of the Promotion Optimization Institute. The organization trains retailers and producers, including Wal-Mart suppliers, to work together on marketing and merchandising.
Last year, Wal-Mart reduced the number of merchandise varieties, known as stock-keeping units, or SKUs, sold in the United States in categories such as laundry detergent and bedding. U.S. stores cut inventories by 7.6 percent while increasing sales by 1.1 percent.
“In some instances, we are returning SKUs to the floor; it is evolutionary and ongoing,” said Linda Blakley, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.
Since last year, Nancy Powella, 61, of Tucker, Ga., is shopping less at Wal-Mart after failing to find some merchandise. She’s cut back to once every two or three weeks from two or three times a week.
Powella said she went to a Lowe’s last week for Mr. Clean Magic Eraser after failing to find it at Wal-Mart. She also has started buying dental floss and mouthwash at Walgreens.
