Walmart has spread from the U.S. to 15 other countries and three continents since its first foray outside the U.S.—to Mexico in 1991. But
the company's proposal to buy South Africa's Massmart Holdings Limited, if approved, would be the retailer's entryway into Africa. It also represents one of the first big deals in years by an American company on that continent, says
The Wall Street Journal.
We can't predict how Walmart would fare in the South African market. But results of two recent surveys from the Consumer Reports National Research Center, as detailed in our
Where to shop report, suggest the retailer won't necessarily be hearing
vuvuzelas upon its arrival. In our
Appliance Store Ratings, in fact, survey respondents scored Walmart dead last for small-appliance purchases. Chief complaints were product quality, service, checkout ease, and (especially) shopping ease.
Walmart's store-brand products have fared better at Consumer Reports. In our recent report,
Store brands vs. name brands, we mentioned two products of Walmart's Great Value brand,
Raisin Bran and Slider food bags, as being very good. And when the chips were down, Walmart came through: We liked its
Great Value potato chips as much as Lay's—and paid about half as much.
—Ed Perratore
