Dataweave analyzed prices of 589 products over 14month period
Walmart39;s avg. basket price rose 3 vs avg. inflation of 7.5
Walmart outpriced rivals on basket of food items where inflation was fiercest

NEW YORK, May 5 Reuters A new analysis of Walmart39;s pricing strategy reveals it has consistently kept grocery prices lower than competitors while generally hiking prices at rates far below U.S. inflation, even while the firm now faces allegations of using its clout to gain unfair advantages over rivals.

Data analytics firm Dataweave compared the prices of 589 namebrand products in 34 categories, including coffee, soup, cereals, baking goods, batteries, personal care items and pet food exclusively for Reuters.

The firm pulled and examined prices at both store and online properties of Walmart, Kroger, Target and Amazon, for the items every day to arrive at one average price for each month between January 2022 and the end of February 2023.

During the period, while U.S. inflation averaged 7.5 Walmart kept prices steady, the Dataweave analysis shows.

Walmart stores and Walmart.com merchandise rose, on average, 3 in price overall in the 14 months through February 2023, compared to a 7.5 increase for the same products sold at Amazon and 9 at Kroger and Target, said Krishnan Thyagarajan, chief operating officer at Dataweave.

Walmart reported net profits of 11.3 billion for its year ended Jan. 31, 2023, a 19 drop compared to last year, mainly due to restructuring charges…