Wal-Mart has launched a campaign to cut thousands of prices across its stores in the US as competition in the country’s retail sector heats up.The world’s largest retailer on Friday (9 April) confirmed the launch of its “Rollbacks” campaign, which will be supported by TV and online advertising.

“Our customers will find thousands of Rollbacks across the store including food and consumables,” a spokesperson told just-food.

Last month, a US retail analyst said Wal-Mart would use aggressive pricing to increase store traffic.

The company, which had attracted consumers in increasing numbers at the onset of the economic downturn last year, has seen customer numbers dwindle during its fourth quarter.

In the three months to the end of January, Wal-Mart revealed that the group’s same-store sales in the US fell 1.6%, excluding fuel, as customer numbers dropped.

News of a fresh wave of price cuts from the country’s largest retailer will raise fears throughout the sector that deflation will persist.

Wal-Mart and its peers have already seen their grocery margins squeezed by pressure from food deflation and the already high degree of competition on price.

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