Messy stores = more sales

As an investor in retail stores I found this article in today's NYTimes very interestng. It speaks to several retailers, but in particular Wal-Mart's efforts to make their stores more appealing and less "messy". Of the nicer/more orderly stores:

“They loved the experience,” William S. Simon, the chief executive of Wal-Mart’s United States division, said at a recent confer-ence. “They just bought less. And that generally is not a good long-term strategy.”

Here's the full story: Retailers Pile Stuff in the Aisles.

There's an investment angle to watch for here too. WMT pays a nice dividend, is cheap by my metrics, and has a powerful brand and competitive moat if they'll just get back to basics.