4 P.M. UPDATE:
FAYETTEVILLE — Wal-Mart's CEO urged employees Friday to reimagine its future in a fast-shifting retail landscape.
"We want to make every day easier for busy families. We're connecting all the parts of Wal-Mart into one seamless shopping experience with great stores, easy pickup, fast delivery and apps and websites that are simple to use," Chief Executive Doug McMillon said at the annual shareholders' meeting.
The event was packed with 14,000 people including nearly 6,000 Wal-Mart workers as well as shareholders, analysts and several Walton family members. The legacy of the company's late founder Sam Walton still resonates, with executives paying homage to his philosophy of low prices and customer service. Part business meeting, part pep rally, the meeting was hosted by comedian James Corden and featured musicians including Nick Jonas, Maxwell and Andy Grammer.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
— The Associated Press
EARLIER: Wal-Mart to pair with Uber, Lyft on deliveries
Wal-Mart will begin testing a new service that will have ride-sharing drivers from companies like Uber and Lyft deliver groceries to customers at their homes, the retailer announced Friday.
At the company's annual shareholder's meeting in Bentonville Friday, CEO Doug McMillion will announce the pilot program, which will initially be offered in Denver and Phoenix, the company said in a news release.
The way it will work, according to the release, is customers will order their grocery list online and a professional shopper at the Wal-Mart location will assemble the items and order a car through Uber or Lyft to deliver the groceries to the customer in a set time window.
The customer will pay Wal-Mart a $7 to $10 delivery fee, not the driver of the car, the release said.
A similar system for Sam's Club customers has already been in testing in Miami using the app Deliv, the company said.
— John Moritz