Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.: On Becoming the World's Largest Company (2002)
I. CASE ABSTRACT
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is an American-based discount retailing concern headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 2002, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., of Bentonville, Arkansas, operated mass merchandising retail stored under a variety of names and retail formats, including Wal-Mart discount department stores; Sam's Wholesale Clubs, wholesale/retail membership warehouses; Neighborhood Markets, small grocery/drug store formats; and Wal-Mart Supercenters, large combination grocery and general merchandise stores in all 50 states. It was not only the nation's largest discount department store chain but also had surpassed the retail division of Sears, Roebuck and Co. in sales volume as the largest retail firm in the United States. Much of the success of Wal-Mart was attributed to the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder, Sam Walton. Sam Walton built the company from the ground up. Many considered him one of the most influential retailers of the century.
In the International Division, it operated its own stores in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, South Korea, United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico, plus stores in China operated through joint ventures. It was also considered the largest retailer in the world, as measured by annual revenue, with sales for the year ending January 31, 2002 of approximately $217.8 billion.
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