Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart stores, Inc are one of the most successful retail stores whose fame has not only flooded the United States but also the entire world. Primarily, it is an American retail organization that works through discount multistores and department stores specifically based in Bentonville, Arkansas. The organization was started back in 1962 by Sam Walton and was incorporated about seven years later in 1969. Over the years, it has grown to more than eleven thousand stores operating in 27 different countries with a total of 71 banners. The company’s operations are under the name of Wal-Mart in Puerto Rico and in the United States. In other countries, the case is different – it is Asda in the UK, in Mexico it is Walmart de México y Centroamérica while it is known as Seiyu in Japan and in India is known as Best Price. It is a big business that has established itself over the decades and has offered a huge market and employment for many.

Today, Wal-Mart has completely owned operations in Brazil, Canada and Argentina. Additionally, it owns and at the same time operates the Sam’s Club retail stores. Wal-Mart is arguably the world’s biggest company in terms of revenue based on the Fortune Global 500 list report of 2014. It has also been termed as the largest private employer in the whole world covering over 2.2 million employees. It is primarily owned by a family since the company’s operations are controlled and managed by the Walton family, who own more than 50% of Wal-Mart through by way of the holding company, Walton Enterprises. It is widely known all over the world as the biggest grocery store in the United States that has continued to generate a lot of sales in the country especially from its grocery business.

Since its establishment, Wal-Mart has experienced significant growth along with its inclusion in the New York Stock Exchange that was done in 1972. Towards the end of 1980s and in the start of the 1990s, the organization rose to a national giant from the regional level. It became the most profitable retailer in the United States in 1988 and almost a year later, it had extended its boundaries to become the biggest based on revenue terms. In the mid-80s, the company mainly operated in the South and some part of the West but in the 90s, the presence of the company was felt in other parts of the country such as New Jersey and California. The trend has continued to this day.