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In a briefing reported by the Financial Times, Walmart suggests it is hitting an inflexion point in its business as shoppers wanted smaller stores closer to their homes. While its model of big out-of-town stores is still successful, Bill Simon, head of the US business, said consumers were reluctant to drive long distances to shop and people were moving back to city centres. He split shopping trips into three types: - large grocery shops often at weekends (falling) - medium-sized purchases (flat) - "immediate access" trips (growth). Competition with small stores was intense as dollar stores had expanded, drug stores were competing for sales and competitors were opening small format stores. What does a Walmart small store look like in the US? - Neighbourhood markets = 38,000 sq ft - Express stores = 15,000 sq ft. Simon stressed that Walmart was not abandoning its business model as a mass market discount retailer.

The hypermarket and superstore share of all retail sales declined from 23.8% in 2000 to 18.6% in 2011, according to Planet Retail/Comscore figures quoted by the Financial Times. In future, general merchandise will not be in a big box - it will be delivered in a cardboard box, the FT quotes Dalton Philips of Morrisons.

Natalie Massenet has made a fortune from setting up and running the Net-a-Porter fashion web site by combining her skills as a journalist with those of a retailer. "My goal was always to be editor in chief of a magazine, and I feel I have achieved that, only it's also a magazine that you can shop - which is even better," she tells the FT. At the heart of her success was the insight that good editorial content alongside items of clothing would encourage sales. Much as in a real world shop, good staff knowledge and know-how helps to clinch a sale. One of her new ideas is to allow visitors to her web site to see real time updates on what other users are putting in their baskets. She got the idea by observing that visitors to her office always stand mesmerised in front of big screens that show sales as they are happening - "so I knew it would be exactly the same for users." This tells you two things. One, that people shop in herds and will buy what other peo...

 Buried away inside issue 39 are four trends that the Monocle team of trend spotters say will change the "business of what we eat and drink". They are: Blueberry juice and its ilk will sell more based on the trend towards "super-foods". Khaled Yafi, who set up the Berry Company in 2006, is expecting fruit bars and frozen desserts to take off. Less fancy dining. For example, Michelin starred Hamburg cook Cornelia Poletto is giving up her star and posh eatery to open a place where customers can "buy cheese and ham over the counter, or have a coffe at the bar". The rise of Korean food as the new Japanese food with soy or chilli-marinated meats, lead by Jung Sik Yim opening a restaurant in New York. The rise of part-time urban farmers and the Slow Food movement, with people growing fruit and vegetables on their balconies or in their basements. Before you scoff or say these are the same old same old new things, pause to consider what you see shoppers doing...

How do you know what people will want to buy next? Time magazine asked Kraft boss Irene Rosenfeld in the spring but only published the answer this week. "One of the best ways is by studying restaurant menus," she replied. "That's typically a leading indicator of what consumers are eating." As a local shop operator, you need to be aware of two things: what local restaurants are selling and what the next big things will be. This can help guide which parts of your store you promote and which promoted products you select. A second question was waht do you see America eating more of? Her answer split in two. Snacking is where the greatest growth is - both in quick-meal products and confectionery. "I think that is indicative of the fact that people continue to be on the go and are looking for quick treats". But she remains on-message by adding that lower-sugar, lower-fat versions of Kraft's products are "experiencing very attractive growth r...