Wal-Mart Places Big Bet on Going Small, But is it Enough?

Wal-Mart disappointed investors on many fronts Thursday when it missed earnings forecasts, posted its fourth consecutive U.S. same-store sales loss and offered fiscal 2015 guidance well below what analysts were expecting. But despite myriad pressures that continue to inhibit the store's target low-income shopper, there was a bright spot amid all the gloom. The discounter announced that it will accelerate the expansion of its small-format stores, an area which many analysts have called integral in the evolving shopping environment.