Walmart.com closes for remodeling
The retailing giant closes its Web site for revamping, according to a message posted on the site's main page.
"As part of this process, during the first week in October, we will close our virtual doors for a few weeks," the note from Walmart.com CEO Jeanne Jackson said. "This temporary measure will enable us to provide you with an improved store designed to meet your needs for an easier, more pleasant shopping experience this holiday season."
Representatives at the Bentonville, Ark.-based company were unavailable for comment.
Jackson's message did say that portions of the site would remain operational, including the Photo Center, which allows customers to upload, download and share photos.
The closure comes nine months after the company completed an overhaul of the site in January, two months behind schedule. Analysts have long predicted that Walmart.com would become one of the top retailers on the Web, but so far the company has failed to make a big splash online.
Jackson, the former CEO of Banana Republic, was named CEO by Wal-Mart in March to head the recently revamped site. At the time, Wal-Mart said it wanted to spin off Walmart.com into a standalone company.
Accel Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, is backing the venture, and Wal-Mart will still own a majority stake in the spinoff.