Journal of Commerce--Wal-Mart is “guardedly optimistic” about the rest of 2011 but sees a trend toward a “flatter” peak season for holiday shipments, said Kelly Abney, the retailer’s vice president for corporate transportation.

The world’s largest retailer expects store sales to move closer to events like Christmas or the start of school, Abney told Dalhman Rose & Co.’s fourth annual Global Transportation Conference in New York.

Inventory buildup for the holiday doesn’t peak as early as it once did, and improved inventory management has enabled Wal-Mart to smooth out the traditional peak season, he said.
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