In times of crisis, we believe in stepping forward to help communities in need. And as we watched floodwaters rise in Kentucky, we knew it was again time to take action. Hundreds of people – from our associates to community members who make our stores part of their daily routine – have lost their homes, lost power or lost access to clean water. That’s where we decided to place our focus. Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation have committed $750,000 in water, food and funding to organizations providing relief, and we’re working to make essential resources like showers and laundry available in our parking lots and supporting shelters. Since last week, more than 20 Walmart trucks carrying water and essential supplies have arrived in some of the hardest-hit Kentucky communities. And there are more on the way.

Montgomery Public Schools has partnered with learning technology company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to implement Amira Learning™, the first intelligent reading assistant that listens to, assesses and tutors learners to bolster early literacy for its students. Amira’s state of the art speech recognition and enhanced AI software offers 1:1 reading practice for young learners and administers both an oral reading fluency assessment and a dyslexia screener. Launching in Montgomery’s Brewbaker Primary School (BPS), which serves the largest elementary population in Montgomery County, Amira will provide teachers with a high-quality 1:1 reading instruction, practice and tutoring solution as it seeks to build the foundational literacy skills of its 600+ diverse students and deliver marked improvement in reading foundations among English Language Learners. Amira, which can be utilized in both virtual and face-to-face learning environments, will help BPS keep students engaged and on track and safe as it shifts to a hybrid learning model in response to of the COVID-19 pandemic.

L Brands, Inc. reported net sales of $2.351 billion for the nine weeks ended July 3, 2021, compared to net sales of $1.369 billion for the nine weeks ended July 4, 2020. Second quarter 2020 sales were negatively impacted by the closure of stores for approximately half the quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales for the first nine weeks of the second quarter of 2021 increased 12 percent compared to sales of $2.101 billion for the same period of 2019. Bath & Body Works net sales were $1.239 billion for the nine-week period ended July 3, 2021, compared to net sales of $743.5 million for the nine weeks ended July 4, 2020. Bath & Body Works sales for the first nine weeks of the second quarter of 2021 increased 48 percent compared to the same period of 2019. Victoria’s Secret net sales were $1.112 billion for the nine-week period ended July 3, 2021, compared to net sales of $625.7 million for the nine weeks ended July 4, 2020. Victoria’s Secret comparable sales for the first nine weeks of the second quarter of 2021 increased 3 percent compared to the same period in 2019.