Walmart's gangbusters year, Starbucks' parental leave, Taco Bell's new thing

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Image for article titled Walmart's gangbusters year, Starbucks' parental leave, and Taco Bell's new thing: Retail news roundup — Graphic: Images: YvanDube, Matt Cardy, Michael Nagle/Bloomberg, NurPhoto

Walmart has had an outstanding year, with shares up over 80% in 2024, boosting its market value to $768 billion and making it a top performer on the S&P 500 Consumer Staples Index. Starbucks will offer 18 weeks of paid leave for birth parents and 12 weeks for non-birth parents, with a 20-hour week minimum to qualify.The coffee chain has also hired its ever chief growth officer to help it fix its struggling China business. Meanwhile, Taco Bell has launched a limited-time offer of chicken nuggets.Check out those stories and more retail news highlights from this week.

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Walmart had a gangbusters year

Walmart (WMT) has delivered an exceptional year that has transformed its market position. The retailer’s shares surged more than 80% in 2024, pushing its market value to $768 billion after adding $340 billion in market capitalization. The retail giant’s exceptional performance has been driven by its success in attracting wealthier shoppers and growth in advertising and marketing revenue, allowing it to emerge as one of the top performers on the S&P 500 Consumer Staples Index.

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Starbucks is tripling its parental leave for U.S. baristas

Starbucks (SBUX) is expanding its parental leave benefits in hopes of keeping its in-store employees around.

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Taco Bell is challenging McDonald’s with something new

A Taco Bell sign in the Times Square neighborhood in New York.

Taco Bell (YUM) wants to compete with fast food giants like McDonald’s (MCD) and Wendy’s (WEN) with a new menu item: Chicken nuggets.

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Americans spent more last month — with one exception

U.S. consumer spending remained strong in November, signaling that the economy is still moving forward despite ongoing inflation concerns.

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McDonald’s is testing a new store with no dine-in area

A McDonald’s customer in San Francisco, California.

McDonald’s is hoping a new prototype store will help it stay ahead of the competition.

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Amazon’s 10 most viral items of 2024

A package for dispatch in a Amazon redistribution center in Horn-Bad Meinberg, Germany.

In 2024, Amazon’s (AMZN) top-selling products were heavily influenced by social media, with certain categories standing out thanks to platforms like TikTok.

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The 10 best last-minute Christmas deals from Amazon, Walmart, and Target

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday may be behind us, but Christmas is just around the corner – and there’s still time to find the perfect last-minute gift.

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