BENTONVILLE, ARK. AND ATLANTA — Retailers Walmart and The Home Depot have reported increased sales during their respective first quarters. Bentonville-based Walmart, which operates on a fiscal year calendar running from Feb. 1 to Jan. 31, reported a spike of 74 percent in its e-commerce department, and an overall growth of 10 percent. Walmart’s total revenue reached $136.4 billion, which was 8.6 percent higher than first-quarter 2019. The uptick from e-commerce was mostly due to grocery pick-up and delivery services. Additionally, overall sales for Sam’s Club was up 12 percent and e-commerce demand for the Walmart-owned brand jumped 40 percent.
The Home Depot, which is based in Atlanta, reported sales reached $28.3 billion, which was 7.1 percent higher than its first-quarter 2019. The Home Depot’s fiscal year ends Feb. 2. Despite the increased sales, the company’s revenue dipped by $300 million from first-quarter 2019 due to expanded benefits for its employees. Some of the benefits include extra time off for hourly employees, more still for associates 65 years of age and older, doubled overtimes rate, weekly bonuses for hourly employees and extended dependent care benefits and waived related co-pays.