Duke is spending $1.6 billion to upgrade 600 stores this year, on top of 300 that were recently redone. He is also continuing a push to reduce the number of items in stores, which means less clutter but less variety for customers.
And despite Wal-Mart's growth, he has laid off 800 staff at the Bentonville, Ark., headquarters and slashed other costs to keep the chain lean.
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