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Walmart’s quarterly sales and profits smashed expectations on Thursday — one day after Target said its revenue dropped for the first time in six years as a result of customers negative reaction to its Pride Month collection.

Walmart’s earnings release showed that e-commerce increased a whopping 24% in the 13-week period ended July 28, buoyed mostly by pickup and delivery orders placed online.

Sales at stores and digital channels open for at least a year were up 6.4% — well above the 4% Bloomberg analysts expected — and international net sales increased 11%, to $27 billion.

Foot traffic was also up 2.8% across the Arkansas-based discount retailer’s portfolio of 10,500-plus locations.

The gains prompted Walmart to raise its annual profit forecast for the second straight quarter.

“We like our position for the back half of the year,” Walmart’s longtime chief executive, Doug McMillon, said in the earnings report.

Strong revenue was attributed to increased grocery sales, though McMillon pointed out that there were also encouraging results across general merchandise, especially at Sam’s Club, where membership income climbed 7%.

The Post has sought comment from Walmart.

Retail rival Target, meanwhile, lowered its profit goal for the full year after a dismal quarter where sales, foot traffic and inventory dipped.

The losses were attributed to consumers’ “negative reaction” to its Pride collection, which included tuck-friendly women’s swimwear and LGBTQ-friendly gear for infants and children that particularly outraged many shoppers.

Targets CFO Michael Fiddelke addressed the Minneapolis-based retailer’s disastrous rainbow-clad collection in an earnings call on Wednesday, saying: Traffic and top line trends were affected by the reaction to our Pride assortment.

Sales at stores and digital channels open for at least a year were off 5.4% from a year earlier, according to Targets Q2 earnings report released Wednesday, while digital sales slipped 10.5%.

Fiddelke said on the call that the retailer couldnt quantify the impact the Pride collection alone had on comparable sales.

Targets revenue for the three-month period ended July 29 was $24.8 billion 4.9% lower than this time last year and worse than the companys predictions.

The figure was slightly under the $25.2 billion economists expected, though the dip isnt surprising considering Targets stock lost nearly $14 billion as the Pride Month controversy grabbed headlines.

Though Walmart also offered items in celebration of Pride — part of its “Pride & Joy” collection — it seemed to fly under the radar of conservative pundits who, at the time, were accusing Target of grooming children with its merchandise, which included a childrens book titled Twas the Night Before Pride, and a handful of T-shirts donning LGBTQ-friendly slogans, like live laugh lesbian.”

Target responded to the backlash by yanking some of its Pride items off shelves and relocating its celebratory displays father back in stores.

The move then caused Pride supporters to condemn the company for falling victim to extremists, leading to a boycott from customers on both sides of the political aisle.

Walmart, meanwhile, refused to make any changes to its LGBTQ+-friendly merchandise despite the fierce criticism Target was experiencing.

We have merchandise that we sell all year that supports different groups, Walmart chief merchandising officer Latriece Watkins said at the start of Pride Month in June. In this particular case, we havent changed anything in our assortment.

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Canucks, Boeser agree on new seven-year deal

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Canucks, Boeser agree on new seven-year deal

The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.

Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.

Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.

The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.

Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.

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Jake Allen agrees to 5-year deal with the Devils

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Jake Allen agrees to 5-year deal with the Devils

Jake Allen, one of the top goaltenders available entering free agency, is not heading to the market after agreeing to a five-year deal with the New Jersey Devils, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Allen’s average annual value on the deal is $1.8 million, sources told ESPN. That AAV allows the Devils to run back the same goaltending tandem for next season.

Jacob Markstrom has one year remaining on his contract for $4.125 million. Nico Daws is also under contract for next season, before becoming a restricted free agent next summer.

Several teams were interested in the 34-year-old veteran, whom sources said could have made more money on the open market. However, the deal with the Devils gives Allen long-term security. Allen has played for the Blues, Canadiens and Devils over his 12-year-career. He has started in 436 career games.

Last season, Allen started 29 games for the Devils, going 13-16-1 with a .906 save percentage, 2.66 GAA and four shutouts.

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Capitals sign Fehervary to 7-year, $42M extension

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Capitals sign Fehervary to 7-year, M extension

Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year extension through the 2032-33 season that is worth $6 million annually, the team announced Tuesday.

Fehervary, who had one year of team control remaining, will enter the final season of a three-year bridge deal that will see him make $2.675 million before his new contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season.

He finished the season with five goals and a career-high 25 points while logging 19 minutes. Fehervary also played a crucial role in the Capitals’ penalty kill by finishing with 245 short-handed minutes for a penalty kill that was fifth in the NHL with an 82% success rate.

Securing the 25-year-old Fehervary to a long-term deal means the Capitals now have seven players who have more than three years remaining on their current contracts.

It also means the Capitals front office has one less decision to make ahead of what is expected to be an active offseason in 2026 that will see the club have what PuckPedia projects to be $39.25 million in cap space.

That’s also the same offseason in which captain and NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin‘s contract will come off their books along with that of defenseman John Carlson.

But until then, the Capitals have their entire top-six defensive unit under contract as they seek to improve upon a 2024-25 season that saw them finish atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points before they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

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