Wal-Mart must avoid ever playing catch-up-CEO
ju4 wa4i dia4n zo1ng he2 ba4o da4o :\n  By Nicole Maestri\nFAYETTEVILLE, Ark., June 6 (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc\n<WMT.N>, the world's largest retailer, is determined to never\nagain find itself in the position of having to play catch-up\nwith its competitors, the chief executive said on Friday.\nInstead, Wal-Mart is positioning itself to be a leader both\nin the retail industry and in solving issues facing consumers\nworldwide, CEO Lee Scott said at the retailer's annual\nmeeting.\n"The world changed. People's expectations of us -- and of\ncorporations in general -- changed. And we found ourselves\nplaying catch up. We can never let that happen again," Scott\nsaid.\n"Not only must we never fall behind, we must always push\nourselves to stay ahead. We must continue to ask fundamental\nquestions that alter perspectives and ultimately behavior."\nWal-Mart is holding its annual meeting as its\nback-to-basics strategy is helping it post sales gains despite\nthe weak U.S. economy.\nIt is emphasizing low prices at the same time U.S. shoppers\nare squeezed by rising food and fuel prices, a deteriorating\nhousing market and tighter access to credit.\nAt last year's annual meeting, the retailer was under\npressure from Wall Street to slow down on new store openings as\nits U.S. sales growth slowed and it saturated many markets.\nIt responded to Wall Street pleas, and slowed new U.S.\nstore openings so it can concentrate on improving results at\nexisting stores.\nScott said the stores now look better and are "friendlier"\nplaces to shop.\nDuring a tour of a supercenter location on Thursday,\nexecutives touted the wider aisles and efforts to weed out poor\nselling merchandise and reduce clutter.\nScott said he is meeting with government leaders worldwide,\ntalking about ways to solve issues confronting consumers\ntoday.\n"There are very clear trends that the retail industry and\nthe world will have to confront -- the aging of the global\npopulation, the multipolar balance of power, income inequity,\nthe disruptive power of technology, and the increased demand\nfor energy, to name a few," he said.\nHe said the retailer stands "ready to work with the new\npresident and the next Congress. We believe we can be an\neffective partner, and leaders who want to get things done will\nseek Wal-Mart as a partner."\n(Reporting by Nicole Maestri; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)\n((Reuters Messaging: nicole.maestri.reuters.com@reuters.net;\nKeywords: WALMART/SCOTT