"We just elected not to show our collections at that venue," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Linda Blakley.

New York Fashion Week is a twice-yearly event that gives the fashion industry a chance to view the latest design collections for the upcoming season. The next New York Fashion Week will kick off on February 2.

Wal-Mart has been participating in the event since September 2005, when it held a fashion show in a Times Square studio that could be viewed by pedestrians.

That fashion show, which followed an eight-page advertising spread in Vogue magazine, was staged as Wal-Mart tried to boost sales by luring shoppers to buy trendier clothing or home decor instead of just low-margin groceries.

In September, Wal-Mart returned again to Fashion Week to show off its George ME fashion line by guest designer Mark Eisen, and its own Metro 7 clothing line.

But Wal-Mart has struggled with the fashion forays, posting disappointing same-store sales results as customers shunned trendier items, like skinny-leg pants, and the retailer said it overexpanded its Metro 7 line.