Wal-Mart May Be Planning a British Excursion

Wal-Mart (WMT Quote) may soon enter a new battle of Britain.

Less than four years after jumping into the British market with its purchase of supermarket chain Asda, Wal-Mart is mulling an expansion of its British empire, setting its sites on Asda-rival Safeway U.K. A deal is far from certain, but Safeway, which is not affiliated with the U.S. supermarket chain of the same name, could offer Wal-Mart added revenues and help shore up its international operations.

"Europe has not been a home run" for Wal-Mart, notes Craig Johnson, chief executive officer of retail consultancy Customer Growth Partners. "They really need to goose up that thing." ...