Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Type	Public (NYSE: WMT)
Founded	Rogers, Arkansas (1962)
Founder	Sam Walton
Headquarters	Bentonville, Arkansas
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	H. Lee Scott (CEO) & (President) S. Robson Walton (Chairman)
Industry	Retail
Products	Discount Stores Supercenters Neighborhood Markets
Market Cap	US$ 210. A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered securities ( Stock, bonds, etc The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. For the surrounding metropolitan area (Northwest Arkansas see Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan area Rogers is a suburban city in An entrepreneur is a person who has possession over a company enterprise, or Venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome Samuel Moore Walton ( March 29 1918 &ndash April 5 1992) was an American businessman and entrepreneur born in Kingfisher Oklahoma Bentonville is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. Lee Scott is also the name of a British Member of Parliament Lee Scott is also the name of the Governor of the 2000-2001 Tennessee Intercollegiate State A chief executive officer ( CEO) or chief executive is typically the highest-ranking corporate officer ( executive) or administrator President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. Samuel Robson (Rob Walton (born 1945 in Tulsa Oklahoma) is the eldest son of Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, the world's largest Retailer For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is chain of grocery stores launched by Wal-Mart in 1998. Market capitalization/capitalisation (aka market cap, mkt cap or capitalized/capitalised value) is a measurement of Corporate or Economic The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 973 Billion (2007)
Revenue	▲ US$ 374. In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 526 Billion (2007)[1]
Operating income	▲ US$ 20. In financial and business Accounting, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT is a measure of a firm's profitability that excludes interest and income tax expenses The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 198 Billion (2007)[2]
Net income	▲ US$ 12. Net income is equal to the Income that a firm has after subtracting costs and Expenses from the total Revenue. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 731 Billion (2007)[2]
Total assets	▲ US$ 163. In Business and Accounting, assets are everything owned by a person or company (all tangible and intangible property that can be converted into cash. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 514 Billion (2007)[3]
Total equity	▲ US$ 64. In accounting terms after all liabilities are paid ownership equity is the remaining interest in Assets If valuations placed on assets do not exceed liabilities The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 608 Billion (2007)[3]
Employees	aprox 2,100,000 (2008)[2]
Website	www.walmart.com

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages (NYSE: WMT) is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large, discount department stores. The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered securities ( Stock, bonds, etc It is the world's largest public corporation by revenue, according to the 2008 Fortune Global 500. The Fortune Global 500 is a ranking of the top 500 Corporations worldwide as measured by Revenue. ^[4] Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, it was incorporated on October 31, 1969, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. Samuel Moore Walton ( March 29 1918 &ndash April 5 1992) was an American businessman and entrepreneur born in Kingfisher Oklahoma Incorporation (abbreviated Inc in US and Canadian business names is the forming of a new Corporation (a corporation being a legal entity Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. It is the largest private employer in the world and the fourth largest utility or commercial employer, trailing the British National Health Service, and the Indian Railways. The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although Indian Railways (भारतीय रेल Bhāratīya Rail) abbreviated as IR (hi भारे is a Department of the Government of India under the Ministry Wal-Mart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States, with an estimated 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business, as well as the largest toy seller in the U. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the S. It also owns and operates the North American company of Sam's Club. Sam's Club is an American chain of membership-only retail Warehouse clubs Founded in 1983 it is owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores Inc

Wal-Mart operates in Mexico as Walmex, in the UK as ASDA, and in Japan as Seiyu. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Wal-Mart de Mexico, is a Latin American blue-chip company a majority of which is owned by the American retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. is a Japanese operator of Supermarkets shopping centers and Department stores In addition to its Japanese operations Seiyu also has department stores operating It has wholly-owned operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the UK. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} Wal-Mart's investments outside North America have had mixed results: its operations in South America and China are highly successful, while it was forced to pull out of Germany when its venture there was unsuccessful. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Wal-Mart has been criticized by some community groups, women's rights groups, grassroots organizations, and labor unions, specifically for its extensive foreign product sourcing, low rates of employee health insurance enrollment, resistance to union representation, and alleged sexism. Wal-Mart has been subject to criticism by various groups and individuals For other meanings see Grass roots (disambiguation. A grassroots movement (often referenced in the context of a Political movement A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming Sexism is the belief or attitude that one Gender or Sex is inferior to or less valuable than the other and can also refer to a Hatred or distrust towards

History

Sam Walton's original Walton's Five and Dime store in Bentonville, Arkansas, now serving as the Wal-Mart Visitor's Center

Main article: History of Wal-Mart

Sam Walton, a businessman from Arkansas, began his retail career when he started work on June 3, 1940, at a J.C. Penney store in Des Moines, Iowa where he remained for 18 months. Bentonville is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. This article covers the history of Wal-Mart, the large international discount retail chain Samuel Moore Walton ( March 29 1918 &ndash April 5 1992) was an American businessman and entrepreneur born in Kingfisher Oklahoma Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. J C Penney Company Inc ( most commonly known today by the name JCPenney or simply Penneys) is a mid-range chain of American Department stores In 1945, he met Butler Brothers, a regional retailer that owned a chain of variety stores called Ben Franklin and that offered him one in Newport, Arkansas. Butler Brothers was a chain of Five and dime retail outlets in the United States started by Edward Burgess Butler. A variety store or price-point retailer is a Retail store that sells inexpensive items usually with a single Price point for all items in the Ben Franklin Stores are a chain of Five and dime discount stores found in small towns throughout the United States. Newport is a city in Jackson County, Arkansas, 84 miles (135 km northeast of Little Rock, on the White River. ^[5]

Walton could neither come to agreement on the existing store's lease renewal nor find a new location in Newport. Instead, he opened a new Ben Franklin franchise in Bentonville, Arkansas, but called it "Walton's Five and Dime. Bentonville is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. " There he achieved higher sales volume by marking up slightly less than most competitors. ^[6]

On July 2, 1962, Walton opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City store. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Within five years, the company expanded to 24 stores across Arkansas and reached $12. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. 6 million in sales. ^[7] In 1968, it opened its first stores outside Arkansas, in Sikeston, Missouri and Claremore, Oklahoma. Sikeston (ˈsaɪkstən sīks'tən is a city in New Madrid and Scott counties in the U Claremore is a city and the County seat of Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States. ^[8]

Incorporation and growth

The company was incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. on October 31, 1969. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1970, it opened its home office and first distribution center in Bentonville, Arkansas. Bentonville is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. It had 38 stores operating with 1,500 employees and sales of $44. 2 million. It began trading stock as a publicly-held company on October 1, 1972, and was soon listed on the New York Stock Exchange. A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered securities ( Stock, bonds, etc Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. The first stock split occurred in May 1971 at a market price of $47. A stock split or stock divide increases the number of shares in a Public company. By this time, Wal-Mart was operating in five states: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma; it entered Tennessee in 1973 and Kentucky and Mississippi in 1974. As it moved into Texas in 1975, there were 125 stores with 7,500 employees and total sales of $340. 3 million. ^[8]

During the 1980s, Wal-Mart continued to grow rapidly, and by its 25th anniversary in 1987 there were 1,198 stores with sales of $15. 9 billion and 200,000 associates. ^[8] This year also marked the completion of the company's satellite network, a $24 million investment linking all operating units of the company with its Bentonville office via two-way voice and data transmission and one-way video communication. At the time, it was the largest private satellite network, allowing the corporate office to track inventory and sales and to instantly communicate to stores. ^[9] In 1988, Sam Walton stepped down as CEO and was replaced by David Glass. David D Glass is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc ^[10] Walton remained as Chairman of the Board, and the company also rearranged other people in senior positions.

Inside a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Mexico

Also in 1988, the first Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in Washington, Missouri. Washington is a city on the Missouri River in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. ^[11] Thanks to its superstores, it surpassed Toys "R" Us in toy sales in the late 1990s. Toys "R" Us ( currently typeset as Toys Я Us in the logo and before as Toys "Я" Us) is a Toy store chain based ^[12] The company also opened overseas stores, entering South America in 1995 with stores in Argentina and Brazil; and Europe in 1999, buying ASDA in the UK for $10 billion. Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise ^[13]

In 1998, Wal-Mart entered the grocery business, introducing the "Neighborhood Market" concept with three stores in Arkansas. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is chain of grocery stores launched by Wal-Mart in 1998. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. ^[14] By 2005, estimates indicate that the company controlled about 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business. ^[15]

In 2000, H. Lee Scott became President and CEO, and Wal-Mart's sales increased to $165 billion. Lee Scott is also the name of a British Member of Parliament Lee Scott is also the name of the Governor of the 2000-2001 Tennessee Intercollegiate State ^[16] In 2002, it was listed for the first time as America's largest corporation on the Fortune 500 list, with revenues of $219. Please do not add the complete list of fortune 500 companies The list is copyrighted by Fortune which makes money by selling the content 8 billion and profits of $6. 7 billion. It has remained there every year, except for 2006. ^[17][18]

In 2005, Wal-Mart had $312. 4 billion in sales, more than 6,200 facilities around the world—including 3,800 stores in the United States and 2,800 elsewhere, employing more than 1. 6 million "associates" worldwide. Its U. S. presence grew so rapidly that only small pockets of the country remained further than 60 miles (100 km) from the nearest Wal-Mart. ^[19]

As Wal-Mart grew rapidly into the world's largest corporation, many critics worried about the effect of its stores on local communities, particularly small towns with many "mom and pop" stores. There have been several studies on the economic impact of Wal-Mart on small towns and local businesses, jobs, and taxpayers. In one, Kenneth Stone, a Professor of Economics at Iowa State University, found that some small towns can lose almost half of their retail trade within ten years of a Wal-Mart store opening. The Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University (ISU is a public land-grant and space-grant university ^[20] However, in another study, he compared the changes to what small town shops had faced in the past — including the development of the railroads, the advent of the Sears Roebuck catalog, as well as the arrival of shopping malls — and concluded that shop owners who adapt to changes in the retail market can thrive after Wal-Mart arrives. ^[20] A later study in collaboration with Mississippi State University showed that there are "both positive and negative impacts on existing stores in the area where the new supercenter locates. Mississippi State University is a Land-grant university located in north east-central Mississippi, United States, in the town of Starkville and "^[21] (See also: Criticism of Wal-Mart: Economic impact)

Recent initiatives

In October 2005, Wal-Mart announced it would implement several environmental measures to increase energy efficiency. Wal-Mart has been subject to criticism by various groups and individuals The primary goals included spending $500 million a year to increase fuel efficiency in Wal-Mart’s truck fleet by 25% over three years and double it within ten, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% in seven years, reduce energy use at stores by 30%, and cut solid waste from U. Greenhouse gases are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere bothnatural and anthropogenic that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared S. stores and Sam’s Clubs by 25% in three years. CEO Lee Scott said that Wal-Mart's goal was to be a "good steward for the environment" and ultimately use only renewable energy sources and produce zero waste. Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal ^[22] The company also designed three new experimental stores in McKinney, Texas, Aurora, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada. McKinney is a city in and the County seat of Collin County, Texas, United States, and the second in population to Plano. The City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality that is the third most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 59th most populous city Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally with wind turbines, photovoltaic solar panels, biofuel-capable boilers, water-cooled refrigerators, and xeriscape gardens. Xeriscaping refers to landscaping in ways that do not require supplemental Irrigation. ^[23] Despite much criticism of its environmental record, Wal-Mart took a few steps in a positive direction, which included becoming the biggest seller of organic milk and the biggest buyer of organic cotton in the world, as well as reducing packaging and energy costs. ^[24] Wal-Mart also spent nearly a year working with outside consultants to discover the company's total environmental impact and find where they could improve. They discovered, for example, that by eliminating excess packaging on their toy line Kid Connection, they could save $2. 4 million a year in shipping costs, 3,800 trees, and a million barrels of oil. ^[24] Wal-Mart has also recently created its own electric company in Texas, Texas Retail Energy, and plans to supply its stores with cheap power purchased at wholesale prices. Through this new venture, the company expects to save $15 million annually and also lays the groundwork and infrastructure to sell electricity to Texas consumers in the future. ^[25]

In March 2006, Wal-Mart sought to appeal to a more affluent demographic. The company launched a new Supercenter concept in Plano, Texas, intended to compete against stores seen as more upscale and appealing, such as Target. Plano (ˈpleɪnoʊ is a city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U Target Corporation ( is an American Retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1902 ^[26][27] The new store has wood floors, wider aisles, a sushi bar, a coffee/sandwich shop with free Wi-Fi Internet access, and more expensive beers, wines, electronics, and other goods. In Japanese cuisine, is Vinegared Rice, usually topped with other ingredients including fish various meats and vegetables Wi-Fi (ˈwaɪfaɪ is the trade name for the popular wireless technology used The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks The exterior has a hunter green background behind the Wal-Mart letters, similar to Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets, instead of the blue previously used at its supercenters.

"Save money, live better. "

On September 12, 2007, Wal-Mart introduced new advertising with the slogan, "Save Money Live Better," replacing the "Always Low Prices, Always" slogan, which it had used for the previous 19 years. Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Advertising is a form of Communication that typically attempts to persuade potential Customers to Purchase or to consume more of a particular Brand A slogan is a memorable Motto or Phrase used in a Political, commercial, Religious and other context as a repetitive expression of Global Insight, which conducted the research that supported the ads, found that Wal-Mart's price level reduction resulted in savings for consumers of $287 billion in 2006, which equated to $957 per person or $2,500 per household (up 7. Global Insight is the world's largest Economics organization serving over 3800 clients in industry finance and government world-wide with revenues of over $95 million (in A price level is a hypothetical measure of overall prices for some set of goods and services in a given region during a given interval normalized relative to some The household is the basic unit of analysis in many Social, Microeconomic and Government models 3% from the 2004 savings estimate of $2,329). ^[28]

Subsidiaries

See also: List of assets owned by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Wal-Mart's operations primarily comprises three retailing subsidiaries: Wal-Mart Stores Division U. Wal-Mart Stores Inc ( is the largest retailer in the world and one of the five largest corporations in the world by sales S. , Sam's Club, and Wal-Mart International. Sam's Club is an American chain of membership-only retail Warehouse clubs Founded in 1983 it is owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores Inc ^[29] The company does business in nine different retail formats: supercenters, food and drugs, general merchandise stores, bodegas (small markets), cash and carry stores, membership warehouse clubs, apparel stores, soft discount stores and restaurants. Big-box store is a term that refers to a style of physically large Chain store, and by extension to the company behind the store Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need A warehouse club is a Retail store, usually selling a wide variety of Merchandise, in which customers pay annual membership fees in order to shop Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather A discount store is a type of Department store, which sell products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets A restaurant is a retail establishment that serves prepared Food to Customers. ^[29]

Wal-Mart Stores Division U. S.

A typical Wal-Mart discount department store

A typical Wal-Mart Supercenter in Madison Heights, Virginia

Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market in Winter Springs, Florida

A typical Sam's Club store in Maplewood, Missouri

Wal-Mart Stores Division U. Madison Heights is a Census-designated place (CDP in Amherst County, Virginia, United States. Winter Springs is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. Maplewood is a city in St Louis County, Missouri, United States. S. is Wal-Mart's largest business subsidiary, accounting for 67. 2% of net sales for financial year 2006. ^[29] It consists of three retail formats that have become commonplace in the United States: Discount Stores, Supercenters, and Neighborhood Markets. A discount store is a type of Department store, which sell products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is chain of grocery stores launched by Wal-Mart in 1998. The retail department stores sell a variety of non-grocery products, though emphasis has now shifted towards supercenters, which include more grocery items. This division also includes Wal-Mart's online retailer, walmart. Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the Internet. com. On February 6, 2007, the company launched a "beta" version of its new movie download service, mediadownloads. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. walmart. com, which sells 3,000 films and television episodes from all major studios and television networks. ^[30] This service was discontinued on December 21, 2007. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[31]

Wal-Mart Discount Stores

Wal-Mart Discount Stores are discount department stores with size varying from 51,000 square feet (4,738. A discount store is a type of Department store, which sell products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets 1 m²) to 224,000 square feet (20,810. 3 m²), with an average store covering about 102,000 square feet (9,476. 1 m²). ^[29] They carry general merchandise and a selection of food. In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. Many of these stores also have a garden center, a pharmacy, Tire & Lube Express, optical center, one-hour photo processing lab, portrait studio, a bank branch, a cell phone store and a fast food outlet. Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον 'pharmakon' = drug is the Health profession that links the Health sciences with the chemical sciences This article is about tires used on road Vehicles including pneumatic tires and solid tires. Motor oil, or engine oil, is an Oil used for lubrication of various Internal combustion engines While the main function is to lubricate Moving Photographic processing is the Industrial process by which conventional Photographic film is treated after Photographic exposure in order to produce the A portrait is a painting, photograph, Sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person in which the face and its expression is predominant A banker or bank is a Financial institution whose primary activity is to act as a payment agent for customers and to borrow and lend money Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly Some also have gasoline stations. ^[32]

The first Wal-Mart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962. For the surrounding metropolitan area (Northwest Arkansas see Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan area Rogers is a suburban city in It was later remodeled and expanded into a 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenter.

In 1990, Wal-Mart opened its first Bud's Discount City location in Bentonville. Bud's operated as a closeout store, much like Big Lots. Big Lots Inc ( is a Fortune 500 retail corporation with annual Revenues well over $4 billion Many locations were opened to fulfill leases in shopping centers as Wal-Mart stores left and moved into newly-built Supercenters. A shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings that contain Retail units with interconnecting Walkways enabling visitors All of the Bud's Discount City stores closed or converted into Wal-Mart Discount Stores by 1997. ^[33][7]

As of January 31, 2008, there were 971 Wal-Mart Discount Stores in the United States. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common In 2006, the busiest in the world was one in Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City is the second-largest city in the US state of South Dakota, and the County seat of Pennington County. ^[34]

Wal-Mart Supercenter

Wal-Mart Supercenters are hypermarkets with size varying from 98,000 square feet (9,104. In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. 5 m²) to 261,000 square feet (24,247. 7 m²), with an average of about 197,000 square feet (18,301. 9 m²). ^[29] These stock everything a Wal-Mart Discount Store does, and also include a full-service supermarket, including meat and poultry, baked goods, delicatessen, frozen foods, dairy products, garden produce, and fresh seafood. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer Poultry is the category of Domesticated Birds which some humans keep for the purpose of collecting their eggs, or kill for their Meat and/or Baking is the technique of prolonged Cooking of Food by dry heat acting by conduction, and not by radiation, normally in an Oven, Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods" Frozen food is food preserved by the process of Freezing. Freezing food is a common method of Food preservation which slows both food decay and by A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal Milk &mdashmostly from goats or cows, but also from buffalo, Sheep Produce is a generalized term for a group of Farm -produced goods generally limited to Fruits and Vegetables More specifically the term "produce" Seafood is any Sea Animal or Seaweed that is served as Food, or is suitable for eating particularly saltwater animals such Many Wal-Mart Supercenters also have a garden center, pet shop, pharmacy, Tire & Lube Express, optical center, one-hour photo processing lab, portrait studio, and numerous alcove shops, such as cellular phone stores, hair and nail salons, video rental stores, local bank branches, and fast food outlets. A pet store or pet shop is a retail business which sells different kinds of animals Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον 'pharmakon' = drug is the Health profession that links the Health sciences with the chemical sciences Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly Some also sell gasoline; distributors include Murphy Oil Corporation (whose Wal-Mart stations are branded as "Murphy USA"), Sunoco, Inc. ("Optima"), or Tesoro Corporation ("Mirastar"). Murphy Oil Corporation is a Petroleum Corporation. It is a S&P 500 company Sunoco ( is an American Petroleum and Petrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, formerly known as Sun Company Tesoro Corporation is a FORTUNE 150 company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with 2004 annual revenues of $12 ^[32]

The first Supercenter opened in 1988 in Washington, Missouri. Washington is a city on the Missouri River in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. A similar concept, Hypermart USA, opened in Garland, Texas a year earlier. Hypermart USA was a demonstrator project operated by Wal-Mart in the 1980s which attempted to combine groceries and general merchandise under one roof at a substantial discount Garland is a city in Dallas County in the US state of Texas. It is an inner suburb northeast of Dallas and is a major part of the All of the Hypermart USA stores were later closed or converted into Supercenters.

As of January 31, 2008, there were 2,447 Wal-Mart Supercenters in the United States. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[34] The nation's largest Supercenter, covering 260,000 square feet (24,000 m²) and two floors, is located in Crossgates Commons in Albany, New York. Crossgates Commons is a large shopping plaza that is split between Albany and Guilderland New York. Albany is the Capital of the State of New York and the County seat of Albany County. ^[35]

Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market

Main article: Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market

Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets are grocery stores that average about 42,000 square feet (3,901. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is chain of grocery stores launched by Wal-Mart in 1998. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good 9 m²). ^[29] They offer a variety of products, which include full lines of groceries, pharmaceuticals, health and beauty aids, photo developing services, and a limited selection of general merchandise. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need

Neighborhood Markets are used to fill the gap between Discount Stores and Supercenters.

The first Neighborhood Market opened in 1998 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Bentonville is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of January 31, 2008, there were 132 of them in the United States. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[34]

Sam's Club

Main article: Sam's Club

Sam's Club is a chain of warehouse clubs which sell groceries and general merchandise, often in large quantities. Sam's Club is an American chain of membership-only retail Warehouse clubs Founded in 1983 it is owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores Inc A warehouse club is a Retail store, usually selling a wide variety of Merchandise, in which customers pay annual membership fees in order to shop A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need Sam's Club stores are "membership" stores and most customers buy annual memberships. However, non-members can make purchases either by buying a one-day membership or paying a surcharge based on the price of the purchase. ^[36] Some locations also sell gasoline. ^[32] The first Sam's Club opened in 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma ^[36] under the name "Sam's Wholesale Club". Midwest City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

Sam's has found a niche market in recent years as a supplier to small businesses. All Sam's Club stores are open early hours exclusively for business members and their slogan is "We're in Business for Small Business. "

According to Wal-Mart's 2007 Annual Report, Sam's Club's sales during 2007 were $42 billion, or 12. 1% of Wal-Mart's total 2007 sales. ^[37] As of January 31, 2008, there were 591 Sam's Clubs in the United States. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[34]

Wal-Mart International

Wal-Mart's UK subsidiary, ASDA

Wal-Mart's international operations currently comprise 2,980 stores in 14 countries outside the United States. ^[38] According to Wal-Mart's 2006 Annual Report, the International division accounted for about 20. 1% of sales. ^[29] There are wholly-owned operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico (although PR is part of the US, the company's operations there are managed through its international division^[38]), and the UK. With 1. 8 million employees worldwide, the company is the largest private employer in the US and Mexico, and one of the largest in Canada. ^[39]

Wal-Mart has operated in Canada since its acquisition of the Woolco division of Woolworth Canada, Inc. The F W Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's) was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores ^[40] In 2007, it operates at 278 locations, employing 70,000 Canadians, with a local home office in Mississauga, Ontario. Mississauga (ˌmɪsɪˈsɑgə) incorporated in 1974 is a City located in the Regional Municipality of Peel Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec On November 8, 2006, Wal-Mart Canada's first three Supercenters opened in Hamilton, London, and Aurora, Ontario. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Wal-Mart Canada is the Canadian unit of Wal-Mart and was founded in 1994 in Mississauga Ontario with the purchase of the Canadian Woolco Hamilton (ˈhæməltən ( 2006 population 504559 UA population 647634 CMA population London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457720 the city proper Aurora ( 2006 Population 47629 is an affluent Canadian town in York Region, approximately 40 km north of Toronto As of January 31, 2007, there were six Wal-Mart Supercenters in Canada. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[34] As of November 30, 2006, there were six Sam's Clubs in Ontario, in London, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Cambridge, Pickering, and Toronto). Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457720 the city proper Richmond Hill ( 2006 population 162704 2007 Estimate 177587 The act expanded Richmond Hill's borders annexing parts of Whitchurch Township, Markham Cambridge ( 2006 population 124371 is a city located on the Grand River and Speed River Pickering is a City located immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario ^[34] In December 2006, conversion of a Wal-Mart Discount Store into a Wal-Mart Supercenter began in Lethbridge, Alberta, making it the seventh in Canada and the first in western Canada. Lethbridge (ˈlɛθbrɨdʒ is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada and the largest city in Southern Alberta. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905

Sales in 2006 for Wal-Mart's UK subsidiary, ASDA (which retains the name it had before acquisition by Wal-Mart), accounted for 42. Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise 7% of sales of Wal-Mart's international division. In contrast to Wal-Mart's US operations, ASDA was originally and still remains primarily a grocery chain, but with a stronger focus on non-food items than most UK supermarket chains other than Tesco. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain At the end of 2007, ASDA had 340 stores, some of which are branded ASDA Wal-Mart Supercentres, as well as ASDA Supermarkets, ASDA Living, George High Street and ASDA Essentials stores. ^[41]

In addition to its wholly-owned international operations, Wal-Mart has joint ventures in China and several majority-owned subsidiaries. Wal-Mart's majority-owned subsidiary in Mexico is Walmex. Wal-Mart de Mexico, is a Latin American blue-chip company a majority of which is owned by the American retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc In Japan, Wal-Mart owns about 53% of Seiyu. is a Japanese operator of Supermarkets shopping centers and Department stores In addition to its Japanese operations Seiyu also has department stores operating ^[42] Additionally, Wal-Mart owns 51% of the Central American Retail Holding Company (CARHCO), consisting of more than 360 supermarkets and other stores in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. ^[43]

In 2004, Wal-Mart bought the 116 stores in the Bompreço supermarket chain in northeastern Brazil. In late 2005, it took control of the Brazilian operations of Sonae Distribution Group through its new subsidiary, WMS Supermercados do Brasil, thus acquiring control of the Nacional and Mercadorama supermarket chains, the leaders in the Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná states, respectively. (ʁiu ˈgɾɐ̃de do ˈsuɫ lit "Large River of the South" is the southernmost State of Brazil, and the State with the fourth highest Human Development Other meanings Paraná Argentina, Paraná River Paraná (paɾaˈna is one of the states of Brazil, None of these was rebranded. As of August 2006, Wal-Mart operates 71 Bompreço stores, 27 Hiper-Bompreço stores, 15 Balaio stores, and three Hiper-Magazines (all originally parts of Bompreço). It also runs 19 Wal-Mart Supercenters, 13 Sam's Club stores, and two Todo Dia stores. With the acquisition of Bompreço and Sonae, Wal-Mart is currently the third largest supermarket chain in Brazil, behind Carrefour and Pão de Açúcar. Carrefour SA ( (karˈfur is a French international Hypermarket chain with a global network of outlets Grupo Pão de Açúcar ( Bovespa: PCAR3/ PCAR4 (- Trading name of Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição, formerly used as a secondary trading name ^[44]

In July 2006, Wal-Mart announced its withdrawal from Germany due to sustained losses in a highly competitive market. The stores were sold to the German company Metro during Wal-Mart's fiscal third quarter. Metro AG ( is a diversified Retail and Wholesale / cash and carry group based in Germany. ^[45][42]

In November 2006, Wal-Mart announced a joint venture with Bharti Enterprises to open retail stores in India. Bharti Enterprises is a large business conglomerate based in New Delhi, India operating primarily across India and in the Seychelles. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country As foreign corporations are not allowed to directly enter the retail sector in India, Wal-Mart will operate through franchises and handle the wholesale end. Wholesaling is the sale of Goods or Merchandise to Retailers to industrial commercial institutional or other professional Business users ^[46] The partnership will involve two joint ventures; Bharti will manage the front end involving opening of retail outlets, while Wal-Mart will take care of the back end, such as cold chains and logistics. A cold chain is a Temperature -controlled Supply chain. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of storage and distribution activities which maintain a given

Private label brands

Main article: List of Wal-Mart brands

About 40% of products sold in Wal-Mart are private label store brands, or products offered by Wal-Mart and produced through subsidized contracts awarded to the lowest bidder. Wal-Mart Stores Inc, like most large Retail and Grocery chains offers Store brands, commonly referred to as house brands or generic Private label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's Brand. Store brands ( house brands in the United States own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia) are Brands which are In Economics, a subsidy (also known as a subvention is a form of financial assistance paid to a business or economic sector ^[47] Wal-Mart began offering private label brands in 1991 with the launch of Sam's Choice, a brand of drinks produced by Cott Beverages exclusively for Wal-Mart. Sam's Choice is a private label brand created by Cott Beverages for Wal-Mart Discount stores Supercenters and neighborhood markets Cott Corporation () is a leading supplier of Private label Carbonated Soft drinks distributing to Canada, the United States, Sam's Choice quickly became popular, and by 1993 was the third beverage brand in the United States. ^[48] Other Wal-Mart brands include Great Value and Equate in the US and Smart Price in Britain. Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise A 2006 study talked of "the magnitude of mind-share Wal-Mart appears to hold in shoppers' minds when it comes to awareness of private label brands and retailers. "^[49]

Corporate affairs

Wal-Mart's business model is based on selling a wide variety of general merchandise at "always low prices. A business model is a term used for a broad range of informal and formal descriptions that are used by enterprises to represent various aspects of its business including its purpose offerings "^[29] The company refers to its employees as "associates". All Wal-Mart stores in the US and Canada also have designated "greeters", who welcome shoppers at the store entrance. ^[50]

In June, 2007. Wal-Mart announced it was retiring the blue vest its 1. 5 million associates wear, and replacing it with khakis and polos. The replacement was to help Wal-Mart increase sales.

Unlike many other retailers, Wal-Mart does not charge a slotting fee to suppliers for their products to appear in the store. A slotting fee is a fee charged to produce companies or manufacturers by Supermarket distributors (retailers in order to have their product placed on their shelves ^[51] Instead, it focuses on selling more popular products and often pressures store managers to drop unpopular products, as well as asking manufacturers to supply more popular products. ^[51] More than 70% of the goods sold in Wal-Mart are manufactured in China. ^[52][53]

On September 14, 2006, the company announced that it would phase out its layaway program, citing declining use and increased costs. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Layaway, also referred to as lay-by in Australia and New Zealand, is a way to purchase an item without paying the entire cost at once ^[54] Layaway ceased to be offered on November 19, 2006, and required merchandise pickup by December 8, 2006. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Wal-Mart now focuses on other payment options, such as increased use of six- and twelve-month, zero-interest financing. The layaway location in most stores is now used for Wal-Mart's Site-To-Store program, which was introduced in March 2007. This enables walmart. com customers to buy goods online with a free shipping option, and have goods shipped to the nearest store for pickup. ^[55]

Financial

In 2006, Wal-Mart was 67th most profitable corporation (profits divided by total revenue), behind retailers Home Depot, Dell, and Target, and ahead of Costco and Kroger. The Home Depot ( is an American Retailer of Home improvement and construction products and services The multinational technology company Dell Inc develops manufactures sells and supports Personal computers and other computer-related products Target Corporation ( is an American Retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1902 Costco Wholesale Corporation ( is the largest membership Warehouse club chain in the world based on sales volume headquartered in Issaquah Washington, The Kroger Co ( is an American Retail Supermarket chain and Parent company, founded by Bernard Henry Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati ^[56] For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2006, Wal-Mart reported a net income of $12. A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is a period used for calculating annual ("yearly" Financial statements in Businesses Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Net income is equal to the Income that a firm has after subtracting costs and Expenses from the total Revenue. 178 billion on $344. 992 billion of sales revenue (3. 5% profit margin). Profit margin, Net Margin, Net profit margin or Net Profit Ratio all refer to a measure of Profitability. ^[57] For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2006, Wal-Mart's international operations accounted for about 20. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 1% of total sales. ^[29] As of May 08, 2008, net sales for the 13-week period ending May 02, 2008 was $95. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common 3 billion, up 8. 8% from the previous year's results. ^[58]

Governance

Wal-Mart is governed by a fifteen-member Board of Directors, which is elected annually by shareholders. A mutual shareholder or stockholder is an Individual or company (including a Corporation) that legally owns one or more shares of Robson Walton, the eldest son of founder Sam Walton, serves as Chairman of the Board. Samuel Robson (Rob Walton (born 1945 in Tulsa Oklahoma) is the eldest son of Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, the world's largest Retailer Samuel Moore Walton ( March 29 1918 &ndash April 5 1992) was an American businessman and entrepreneur born in Kingfisher Oklahoma Lee Scott, the Chief Executive Officer, serves on the board as well. Lee Scott is also the name of a British Member of Parliament Lee Scott is also the name of the Governor of the 2000-2001 Tennessee Intercollegiate State A chief executive officer ( CEO) or chief executive is typically the highest-ranking corporate officer ( executive) or administrator Other members of the board include Aída Álvarez, James Breyer, Michele Burns, James Cash, Roger Corbett, Douglas Daft, David Glass, Roland Hernandez, Allen Questrom, Jack Shewmaker, Jim Walton, Christopher Williams, and Linda Wolf. Aída Álvarez (born 1950 is the first Hispanic woman and Puerto Rican to hold a Cabinet position James Ireland Cash Jr (born 1947 is an African American businessman who currently is a member of the board of directors of several corporations, including Roger Corbett AM is an Australian businessman Until recently Corbett served as CEO of Woolworths Limited, a large retailing conglomerate Douglas N Daft (born 1943 in Cessnock, New South Wales) is an Australian Businessman. David D Glass is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc Jim Carr Walton (born 1948 in Newport Arkansas) is the youngest son of Wal-Mart founder Sam ^[59]

Notable former members of the board include Hillary Clinton (1985–1992)^[60] and Tom Coughlin (2003–2004), the latter having served as Vice Chairman. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26 1947 is the junior United States Senator from Thomas M "Tom" Coughlin (born 1949 is a former vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores Inc Clinton left the board before the 1992 U.S. Presidential Election, and Coughlin left in December 2005 after pleading guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Wal-Mart. The United States presidential elections of 1992 featured a battle between incumbent President, Republican George H ^[61] On August 11, 2006, he was sentenced to 27 months of home confinement, five years of probation, and ordered to pay $411,000 in restitution. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[62]

Competition

In North America, Wal-Mart's primary competition includes department stores like Kmart, Target, ShopKo, Meijer, and Canada's Zellers, Winners, and Giant Tiger. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. Kmart (sometimes spelled as " K-Mart " is a chain of department stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U Target Corporation ( is an American Retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1902 Shopko (formerly ShopKo until May 2007 is a chain of retail stores based in Ashwaubenon Wisconsin, outside of Green Bay, behind Bay Park Square Meijer ( Dutch, ˈmaɪər is a regional American Hypermarket chain based in Walker Michigan. Zellers Inc is Canada 's second-largest chain of mass merchandise Department stores, with 282 locations in communities across Canada. Winners is a chain of off-price Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies. Giant Tiger Stores Limited is a Canadian Discount store in Canada and the United States founded on May 13, 1961, by Gordon Reid Competitors of Wal-Mart's Sam's Club division are Costco, and the smaller BJ's Wholesale Club chain operating mainly in the eastern US. Costco Wholesale Corporation ( is the largest membership Warehouse club chain in the world based on sales volume headquartered in Issaquah Washington, BJ's Wholesale Club Inc ( is a membership-only Warehouse club chain operating on the United States East Coast, as well as in the state of Ohio. Wal-Mart's move into the grocery business in the late 1990s also set it against major supermarket chains in both the United States and Canada. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good Several smaller retailers, primarily dollar stores, such as Family Dollar and Dollar General, have been able to find a small niche market and compete successfully against Wal-Mart for home consumer sales. A variety store or price-point retailer is a Retail store that sells inexpensive items usually with a single Price point for all items in the Family Dollar ( is a Variety store chain that has locations across the United States. Dollar General is a chain of Variety stores operating in 35 U ^[63] In 2004, Wal-Mart responded by testing its own dollar store concept, a subsection of some stores called "Pennies-n-Cents. "^[64]

Wal-Mart also had to face fierce competition in some foreign markets. For example, in Germany it had captured just 2% of German food market following its entry into the market in 1997 and remained "a secondary player" behind Aldi with a 19% share. For similarly named settlements see Aldie, short for " AL brecht DI scount" is a Discount Supermarket ^[65] In July 2006, Wal-Mart announced its withdrawal from Germany. Its stores were sold to German company Metro. Metro AG ( is a diversified Retail and Wholesale / cash and carry group based in Germany. ^[45] Wal-Mart continues to do well in the UK, and its ASDA subsidiary is the second largest chain after Tesco. Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain ^[66]

In May 2006, after entering the South Korean market in 1998, Wal-Mart withdrew and sold all 16 of its South Korean outlets to Shinsegae, a local retailer, for $882 million. Shinsegae (신세계 is a South Korean Department store franchise, along with several other businesses headquartering in Seoul, South Korea Shinsegae re-branded the Wal-Marts as E-mart stores. E-mart ( is the largest retailer in South Korea. It was founded on 12 November 1993 by Shinsegae, and was the first discount retailer in ^[67]

Wal-Mart struggled to export its brand elsewhere as it rigidly tried to reproduce its model overseas. In China, Wal-Mart hopes to succeed by adapting and doing things preferable to Chinese citizens. For example, it found that Chinese consumers preferred to select their own live fish and seafood; stores began displaying the meat uncovered and installed fish tanks, leading to higher sales. ^[68]

In addition, under heavy pressure from the Chinese government, Wal-Mart accepted a form of organized labor in China. Chinese labor unions do not negotiate contracts but simply pay dues to the government, "to secure the social order. " However, Chinese consumers may be more open to Americana than shoppers in Europe. Americana refers to artifacts of the Culture of the United States, the history and folklore resultant from its Westward expansion. ^[69]

Customer base

Street sign for Wal*Mart Drive near Gordon, Pennsylvania

Each week, about 100 million customers, nearly one-third of the U. S. population, visit Wal-Mart's U. S. stores. ^[70] Wal-Mart customers give low prices as the most important reason for shopping there, reflecting the "Low prices, always" advertising slogan that Wal-Mart used from 1962 until 2006. ^[71] The average US Wal-Mart customer's income is below the national average, and analysts recently estimated that more than one-fifth of them lack a bank account, twice the national rate. ^[72] A Wal-Mart financial report in 2006 also indicated that Wal-Mart customers are sensitive to higher utility costs and gas prices. ^[73] A poll before the 2004 US Presidential Election indicated that 76% of voters who shopped at Wal-Mart once a week planned to vote for George W. Bush, while only 23% planned to vote for John Kerry. The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday November 2, 2004, to elect the President of the United States. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator ^[74] When measured against other similar retailers in the U. S. , frequent Wal-Mart shoppers were rated the most politically conservative. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined ^[75]

In 2006, Wal-Mart took steps to expand its US customer base, announcing a modification in its US stores from a "one-size-fits-all" merchandising strategy to one designed to "reflect each of six demographic groups – African-Americans, the affluent, empty-nesters, Hispanics, suburbanites and rural residents. "^[76] Around six months later, it unveiled a new slogan: "Saving people money so they can live better lives". This reflects the three main groups into which Wal-Mart categorizes its 200 million customers: "brand aspirationals" (people with low incomes who are obsessed with names like KitchenAid), "price-sensitive affluents" (wealthier shoppers who love deals), and "value-price shoppers" (people who like low prices and cannot afford much more). KitchenAid is a home appliance brand owned by Whirlpool Corporation. ^[71] Wal-Mart has also made steps to appeal to more liberal customers, for example, by rejecting the American Family Association's recommendations and carrying the DVD Brokeback Mountain, a love story between two gay cowboys in Wyoming. Liberalism in the United States is a broad political and philosophical mindset favoring individual Liberty, and opposing restrictions on liberty whether they come from The American Family Association (AFA is a 501(c(3 Non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Brokeback Mountain ( 2005) is a romantic - Drama film that depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the ^[77]

Employee and labor relations

See also: Criticism of Wal-Mart

A protest in Utah against Wal-Mart

Labor unions, religious organizations,^[78][79] and environmental groups^[80] have criticized Wal-Mart for its policies and/or business practices. Wal-Mart has been subject to criticism by various groups and individuals The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming In particular, several labor unions blame Wal-Mart workers' unwillingness to join their organizations on the company's anti-union stance. Others disapprove of the corporation's extensive foreign product sourcing, treatment of employees and product suppliers, environmental practices, and use of public subsidies, and the impact of stores on the local economies of towns in which they operate. Corporate welfare is a term describing a government's bestowal of money grants tax breaks, or other special favorable treatment on Corporations or select corporations ^[81][82][83]

In 2005, labor unions created several websites and organizations to shed new light on Wal-Mart. These included Wake Up Wal-Mart (United Food and Commercial Workers) and Wal-Mart Watch (Service Employees International Union). Wake Up Wal-Mart is a union-backed campaign group affiliated with the UFCW. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1 Wal-Mart Watch, formed in the spring of 2005 is a joint project of The Center for Community and Corporate Ethics a non-profit organization studying the impact of large corporations on Service Employees International Union ( SEIU) is a labor union representing more than 2 million workers In Florida a high-profile strike at the University of Miami By the end of 2005, Wal-Mart launched Working Families for Wal-Mart, an operation managed by Wal-Mart to tell the company's side of the story. Working Families for Wal-Mart is an advocacy group formed by Wal-Mart and the Edelman public relations firm on December 20, 2005. Additional efforts to counter criticism included a PR campaign in 2005, managed through its PR website walmartfacts. Public relations (PR is the practice of managing the flow of Information between an Organization and its Publics Public relations - often referred com,^[84] as well as several television commercials. The company retained the PR firm Edelman to respond to negative media attention,^[85] and started interacting directly with bloggers by sending them news, suggesting topics for postings, and sometimes inviting them to visit its corporate headquarters. Edelman is an independently owned Public relations company founded in 1952 by Daniel J ^[86]

Critics decry Wal-Mart's employee and workforce relations, low wages, poor working conditions, and inadequate health care. A wage is a compensation workers receive in exchange for their labor. Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the Safety, Health and welfare of people engaged in Health care is the prevention treatment and management of illness and the preservation of mental health through the services offered by the medical, Nursing They also denounce what they call the company's anti-union policies, and claim that Wal-Mart's high turnover rate (about 70% of its employees leave within the first year) shows that workers are dissatisfied with the lack of recognition and inadequate pay. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming See Turnover for other uses of the term Turnover, in a Human resources context refers to the characteristic of a given company or ^[87]

In response, Jay Nordlinger of National Review argues that Wal-Mart is attacked simply because it is a leader of the Fortune 500 list or the largest employer in America, and a "free-market success story". Jay Nordlinger is an American journalist He is a senior editor of National Review, the conservative magazine founded by William F National Review ( NR) is a biweekly Magazine and Web site, founded by the late author William F ^[88] Penn & Teller devoted an episode of their show to an analysis of Wal-Mart criticism as a social movement. Penn & Teller ( Penn Fraser Jillette and Teller) are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and Comedy. They theorized that despite the noble rhetoric, the real motivation of "Wal-Mart haters" was rooted in human psychology. They suggested that hating Wal-Mart permits a person "to feel better about themselves" for three main reasons: They "don't run a greedy international conglomerate", they aren't Wal-Mart workers, widely considered "low-skilled, minimum wage drones", and they aren't Wal-Mart customers thought of as "toothless, welfare-getting hillbillies". ^[89] Wal-Mart stores are unionized in every country outside of North America. ^[90]

Diversity

Wal-Mart is currently facing a gender discrimination lawsuit, Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., which alleges that female employees were discriminated against in matters regarding pay and promotions. Unlike most discrimination policies discrimination between, which is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences focused here discrimination against is Dukes v Wal-Mart Stores Inc is an ongoing ( As of 2007) US$ 11 billion Sexual discrimination lawsuit and the largest Civil rights Class In February 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a 2–1 ruling which affirmed a lower court ruling to certify the case as a class-action lawsuit; plaintiffs estimate that about 1. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a federal court with Appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts In Law, a class action or a representative action is a form of Lawsuit where a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court 6 million women could be included in the suit. ^[91][92] According to a consultant hired by plaintiffs in a sex discrimination lawsuit,^[93][94] in 2001, Wal-Mart's EEOC filings showed that female employees made up 65% of Wal-Mart's hourly-paid workforce, but only 33% of its management. Just 35% of its store managers were women, whereas 57% were at comparable retailers. The economist Marc Bendick Jr described the ratio of women store managers in 2001 as below that of comparable companies in 1975. ^[94] On April 3, 2007, Wal-Mart reported that female employees were now 61% of its workforce and 40% of its management. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[95]

A similar lawsuit, EEOC (Janice Smith) v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., was filed on August 24, 2001. EEOC (Janice Smith v Wal-Mart Stores Inc is a Class-action Sexual discrimination lawsuit that was filed on August 24, 2001 in the Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. It accused the retailer of discriminatory hiring practices at its London, Kentucky Distribution Center, dating back to 1995. London is a city in Laurel County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5692 at the 2000 census. ^[96] Mauldin v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. charges that the company's denial of health insurance coverage for birth control is unfair to female employees. Mauldin v Wal-Mart Stores Inc is a Class-action Sexual discrimination lawsuit that was filed on October 16, 2001 in the United States District Birth control, sometimes synonymous with contraception, is a regimen of one or more actions devices or Medications followed in order to deliberately prevent In 2002, the lawsuit was granted class action status, allowing all female employees after March 2001 to file claims if they were using contraceptives. In Law, a class action or a representative action is a form of Lawsuit where a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court ^[97]

From 2002 through 2006, Wal-Mart received steadily increasing scores on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, a measure of how companies treat LGBT employees and customers. The Corporate Equality Index is a report published by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation as a tool to rate American businesses on their treatment of Gay, Lesbian LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual The company's rating increased from 14% in 2002 to 43% in 2004, due to an expanded antidiscrimination policy to protect gay and lesbian employees. ^[98] The score increased to 57% in 2005, because of the company's new definition of family that included same-sex partners,^[99] and increased again in 2006 to a high of 65%. ^[100] However, the rating for the 2008 edition dropped back to 40%, attributable to losses in two key areas: not renewing its membership in the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (which it joined in 2006), and a discrepancy from last year's study that was discovered in this year's answers and resulted in another 10-point loss (by comparison, Target scored 80% and Kmart 100%). Target Corporation ( is an American Retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1902 Kmart (sometimes spelled as " K-Mart " is a chain of department stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U As a result of the 40% rating, HRC encouraged consumers to "strongly consider other [shopping] options. "^[101]

In January 2006, Wal-Mart announced that "diversity efforts include new groups of minority, female and gay employees that meet at Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville to advise the company on marketing and internal promotion. There are seven so-called Business Resource Groups: women, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, Gays and Lesbians, and a disabled group. "^[102]

See also

Advocacy groups

• Wal-Mart Watch – a joint project of The Center for Community and Corporate Ethics studying the impact of large corporations on society
• Working Families for Wal-Mart – an advocacy group run by Wal-Mart and the Edelman public relations firm
• Wake Up Wal-Mart – a union-backed campaign group

Television

• Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price – a 2005 documentary film by director Robert Greenwald
• Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes – a 2004 episode of Comedy Central's South Park

Other

• Criticism of Wal-Mart
• Wal-Mart camel – a bone fossil of a prehistoric camel found at a future Wal-Mart store in Mesa, Arizona
• Wal-Mart employees (former and current)
• Walmarting – a neologism with three meanings
• Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach – a golf tournament

References

External links

• Official E-Commerce Website
• Official Corporate Website
• Official Public Relations Website