The world's largest retail chain walmart. WalMart success story. Management innovation

Walmart Corporation is the largest retailer in the world. Walmart owns seventy brands and more than eleven thousand supermarkets, hypermarkets, supermarkets in nearly thirty countries around the world. In particular, in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, China, Japan. The flagship Internet hypermarket Walmart.com cannot but be of interest by definition. Here you can buy anything you want so that you can pay for the goods without any problems and send it to any forwarder. One of the few online stores that can seriously compete with such a giant as Amazon.

Assortment, description and ordering

Clothes, footwear, accessories for every taste for all ages. Budget brands.
Electronics and Appliances for home and office, incl. Apple.
Products for children of all ages and adolescents.
Everything for home, renovation.
Household chemicals. Health and beauty.
Everything for motorists.
Food.
Books and media products.
Much more.

The largest employer in the world, the largest retail chain on the planet - you can talk endlessly about Walmart. She and entrepreneur Sam Walton, who founded it in 1965, are the living embodiment of the true American Dream. The son of ordinary farmers, who opened the first store with borrowed money and became the richest man in the United States. Exclusively thanks to their hard work, creativity and ability to rise even after the most unexpected blows of fate. And its irony is everywhere, even that the company's name - Walmart, formed from the names of the owner and founder, was deliberately shortened to minimize the cost of signs. Sam Walton's book: " Made in America. How I Created Walmart"became a bestseller. Check it out. There's a lot to learn.

The company's motto: " Save Money. Live better", which loosely means:" Save and allow yourself more". And this concept has remained unchanged since the day of its foundation. Why pay more? Here they know how to count money and appreciate good quality... Philosophy of the American Way of Life.

As you can imagine, to bypass the Internet representation of such a giant as Walmart is bad manners. After all, it is Walmart stores that are more actively "storming" by fans of Black Friday and Christmas sales. And the online store will be interesting, first of all, to those who are used to spending rationally. The main feature of all Walmart stores is to offer the most low prices, earn on turnover, and not on the amount of the margin, receive goods directly from the manufacturer, bypassing intermediaries. By the way, a good half of the range is products owned by the company trade marks(like like Metro Cash & Carry sells products of its own brands ARO, Horeca, Rioba).

Pay special attention to such popular products among our compatriots as Barbie, Disney, Monster High dolls, Hot Wheels cars, pencils, markets and Crayola paints - all of which can be bought here often much cheaper than on Amazon.com.

The range of online Walmart, as well as the traditional stores of this company, is endlessly large. Here you can dress from head to toe, and buy everything for the house, from furniture to dishes and household chemicals, a huge selection of goods for children, food, medicines. You can continue indefinitely.

The products presented in the catalog are offered not only by Walmart, there are many products from third sellers, as is the case on Amazon.com. But here they are usually large retailers. In the description of each product, you will see who the seller is. Each of them has its own policy regarding delivery, return of goods, its own support service. Also, buyers can leave reviews for sellers, which form a rating.

A good third of brands will probably be unfamiliar to you. Everything to save money. Why pay for a well-known brand if you can buy a product that is as good as possible without overpaying? This is a Walmart principle that has been proven to be successful in practice.

Each product has customer reviews. Don't be lazy to read them. They are written by real people and contain a lot of useful information.

When choosing, also pay attention to informational announcements such as " best seller"(bestseller)," reduced price"(price reduced)," clearance"(liquidation).

The store has a great variety of offers of various credit programs, payment cards, coupons and vouchers. But only residents of the United States will be able to take advantage of all this. They will also try to "connect" you with the traditional, non-online Walmart next door, offering discounts and helpful services.

Countries of origin

The goods here are sold from all over the world and one of the main suppliers is of course China. Quite a lot of goods are made in the USA. They are marked with a special icon. All of these are collected in the "made in America" section.

Discounts and promotions

At Walmart.com, as in any self-respecting online store, there is a must-have "offer of the day". You will find it Value of the day. It offers products with significant discounts.

Payment

Bank cards Visa, Mastercard.
Paypal payment system (the fastest and easiest way).

Delivery

Orders are shipped within the United States only. For purchases of $ 50 or more, delivery is free. You can independently place an order at the address of the forwarding company.

Support

You can contact customer support at e-mail by filling out a special form or by phone in the United States: 1-800-966-6546.

Summary... Definitely a very interesting online store with honest low prices. Especially on Black Friday and around Christmas time it is definitely worth a visit. It is impossible to buy expensive here by definition. Fans of luxury brands will be disappointed, Walmart doesn't have them.

Checkout

We now briefly walk you through the process of placing an order on Walmart.com. But first, let's deal with the standard product description.

Title. Product information.
The number of reviews about the product, the link to them and the overall rating of the product on a 5-point scale (stars).
Link to asked questions about the product and the ability to ask your own.
Manufacturer. By clicking on the link, you can view all of its products.
Price, Additional Information- in this case "Clearance" (liquidation with a final discount), conditions free shipping(order from $ 50).
Color selection.
Choice of size.
The required quantity (Quantity) and the button "Add to cart" (add to cart).
"Add to registry" - you can create profiles of those to whom you often give gifts, you will be reminded of the upcoming event, you will pay for the product, and it will be sent to the desired address. "Add to list" - you can create lists of products in your account, something like "favorites".
The seller of the product, in this case Walmart.
Choice of delivery options (shipping) and the possibility of self-pickup from the store (Free Pickup).

After all the items you want have been added to the cart, click the orange "Proceed to Checkout" button and proceed to checkout. First, register as a new user. Click "Create Account".

Fill in simple form, in Latin letters (on English language). If you want to subscribe to the newsletter and receive a digest of news and promotions, then check the box.

Enter the shipping address - "Shipping Address". As an example, we will fill out the form with the standard forwarding company Shipito.com customer details. Check the box that the billing address is the same as the shipping address ("Billing same as shipping").

Then the system will probably prompt you to select the corrected address and show the possible delivery options. At the final stage, you will need to enter the card details. Paypal will not work when delivered to the forwarder, so choose direct payment by card. You must enter the name and surname exactly as indicated on the front side of the card, number, expiration date, security code (expiration date) - the last three digits on the back of the card. The payer's address must also match the delivery address here.

Wal-Mart Stores is the largest retail chain not only in the United States, but also in the world. Wal-Mart has over 10,000 stores in different countries the world. The format of the stores: hypermarkets and supermarkets where you can buy both grocery and household goods - the company maintains the maximum assortment in its stores. Due to the huge turnover of Wal-Mart Stores, prices in its stores are significantly lower than the market average and are practically equal to wholesale prices. The company's high turnover also allows Wal-Mart to dictate its terms to many suppliers of goods. Often, the arrival of a Wal-Mart store in a small city means the closure of all other stores in that city: not everyone can compete with the giant.

Wal-Mart history

Wal-Mart's story is the success story of its founder, Sam Walton. Sam Walton started his business by purchasing a Ben Franklin store franchise. Over the years, he turns his store into one of the best stores in the Ben Franklin chain. A few years later, the owner of the Ben Franklin brand refuses to renew the franchise with Sam Walton. Sam Walton opens his stores under the brand name "Five & Ten Cents" and after a while the Five & Ten Cents network grows rapidly.

In 1962, Walton opened his first store in Rogers, Arkansas, which became the prototype for all Wal-Mart stores. The original name of the store is Waltons Five & Dime. It was a large supermarket where you could buy many household goods. A distinctive feature of Waltons Five & Dime was that it was opened on the outskirts of the city in a residential area. Subsequently, this approach to choosing a location for stores fully paid for itself.

The basic principle that made Wal-Mart Stores Inc. prosperous can be formulated as follows: all goods in one place at the lowest prices. In addition, Sam Walton himself insisted that employees take initiative: every employee proposal was considered and some were applied (for example, free parking at Wal-Mart stores, the ability to roll out a shopping cart to the car, etc.). Wal-Mart stores have a customer-friendly atmosphere that builds brand loyalty.

Despite the success of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in many markets around the world, in some countries, Wal-Mart stores have not caught on. In particular, in South Korea and in Germany, Wal-Mart stores were sold to competitors. As for Russia, here Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also had problems entering the market.

Initially, Wal-Mart wanted to enter the Russian market through the purchase of a ready-made retail chain. Negotiations were conducted with X5 Retail Group on the creation of a joint company, but they did not end with anything. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s attempt was also unsuccessful. take over the trading network "Lenta". Nevertheless, the Russian market remains attractive for the giant and therefore one can expect its appearance in the near future.

Wal-Mart is the largest retail chain in the world with over 10,000 stores. In them, buyers can purchase both food and goods for the home and household. Wal-Mart is the absolute leader retail in America. And all this thanks to the legendary Sam Walton - the creator of the Wal-Mart chain. What he did in business, not everyone can do. He himself believes that the secret of his success is in his endless optimism, goodwill towards everyone around (be it friends or enemies), and, of course, striving for excellence. Everyone who knew Sam speaks of him as "a man with a constant kind smile on his face." How did he manage to turn one store into a huge global network?

Sam's birth and childhood

Sam Walton was born in 1918 in Oklahoma. His parents worked on the farm, and the family did not have a consistently high income, however, and did not live in poverty. In those years, small provincial towns in America were very similar to each other: in the center there was a city hall, a medical clinic, a bank, a school, a post office and other institutions, and around them there were small streets with residential buildings. When Sam was still a boy, his family moved to Missouri, a city that looked almost exactly like their hometown. In a new place, Sam began to play sports at a local stadium and go to public speaking school.

Like many of today's great businessmen, Sam Walton began making money on his own very early - at the age of seven he carried the morning press home. Sports played an important role in his life. Thanks to them, Sam learned to work in a team and effectively interact with other players. In the future, it was this skill that helped him more than once in business.
After graduating from the University of Missouri, Sam began working in the trading industry, changing jobs frequently. In one of the companies, he met his future wife, whom he soon married. It's time to serve in the army. Due to a heart ailment found in Sam, he was forbidden to serve him fully, however, he was sent to the military unit as a quartermaster (the person in charge of supplying the troops).

Opening of the first store

After returning to civilian life, Sam convened a family council, at which he planned to decide the issue of his future activities. His wife's father was a fairly wealthy man, and Sam, deciding to take advantage of such a gift of fate, asked him a tidy sum to start his own business. The father-in-law did not refuse, and Sam got the money to buy the franchise of the Ben Franklin retail chain. A small shop was opened in downtown Newport, which quickly became popular with the locals. Sam Walton took his first business more than seriously. He personally greeted every visitor to the store at the entrance and showed maximum attention to everyone. Sam often told customers that the store did not belong to him personally, but to his entire family. And he often told visitors about his son Robson, whom he loved very much.

Very quickly, the store, which Walton ran, became the most successful in the entire Ben Franklin chain. When it came time to renew the franchise contract, the chain owner refused to do so. This is understandable: the owner wanted to manage a store with such excellent sales figures himself.

Sam Walton moves to Bentonville with his wife and children. At that time, Sam did not doubt for a second that trade was his vocation, and this was the only thing he would do all his life. He opens the Five & Ten Cents store, from the name of which it is clear at what price the goods are sold there. This store now houses the Wal-Mart Museum, where anyone can look at the oldest items ever sold online. Among them there is an exhibit with a rather interesting story... This is the most common thermometer that the customer returned to the store with the words "this clock is showing the wrong time."
Sam continued to open stores throughout Arkansas, gaining experience and building his own own principles in trade. When he decided to open his first supermarket, he was already a professional in his field.

Sam Walton's goal was to create stores that harmoniously combine the pleasant atmosphere of small family shops and the scale of large supermarkets. In search of new ideas, Walton visited almost every store that he came across, and studied how they work.

The beginning of the Wal-Mart story

The Wal-Mart story would never have started if Walton hadn’t come up with the idea of opening a large supermarket in a small town on the outskirts. The fact is that large stores were available only in large cities. But in them the value of the land and work force was very high for Walton. Small cities were not even considered by large market players as a platform for business. Despite the doubts of his acquaintances, Walton decided to give it a try.

So, almost on the outskirts of Rogers, a supermarket called “Waltons Five And Dime” was opened. The locals liked this supermarket because it was as big as the supermarkets in megacities, but prices were much lower and there was a warm, almost family atmosphere. This principle is still present at Wal-Mart: all stores open on the outskirts of cities, not in their centers.

The first open shops the Waltons Five And Dime chains provided an opportunity to purchase goods not only at low prices, but at surprisingly low prices. At first, visitors were wary of this, but then they realized that the quality of goods is in no way inferior to similar goods in other stores.

Why was the chain renamed from Waltons Five And Dime to Wal-Mart? The thing is, the title “Waltons Five And Dime” was too long. At first, Walton wanted to rename his chain simply "Waltons", but it turned out that the cost of each letter to erect a sign is quite high. Sam decided to save some money and just call the stores "Wal". The Mart prefix (which means "market") appeared a little later. During the first five years after the opening of the first store of the chain, 24 more of the same were opened.

Sam Walton always talked to his subordinates and asked them for advice on how to improve store operations. For example, the idea of allowing shoppers to carry shopping carts directly to Walton's car was brought up by a loader in one of the stores, and the idea of free parking for visitors by one of the clerks. Walton was not shy about driving a regular pickup truck and dressing in cheap clothes... And once he even danced the dance of the Hawaiian peoples, wearing a Hawaiian skirt made of leaves, right in the middle of a busy street, as he lost a bet to his friend.

Accusations from other entrepreneurs

Because of the success of Wal-Mart, many small stores have become extinct. It was just that the buyers liked to buy more in big supermarket with low prices, while receiving a warm welcome and personal attention from the staff. Small shops began to go bankrupt, and their owners blamed Sam Walton, who continually multiplied his supermarkets across America. There were also accusations of violating American traditions, which involved the location of all large establishments and shops in city centers.

Walton considered such accusations unfair, and in the early 1990s he wrote a book in which he told the whole story of Wal-Mart from the beginning. So people learned that Sam did not even have thoughts of ruining someone, he just did what he liked. He built shops on the outskirts not because he wanted to reverse the traditions of America, but because it was cheaper to rent land there.

In the same book, Walton told about his charity work, about which he previously preferred to remain silent. Walton was born and raised in a small provincial town and knew perfectly well what the inhabitants of such cities suffer from. Therefore, starting to do business, he transferred to various charitable foundations sums of money for the formation of scholarships for students, from time to time held sales of goods for the poorest people, donated money to zoos, clinics, libraries, theaters.

After the release of this autobiographical book, the public finally recognized that Walton had done a lot for the country and its people. In 1992, the American President awarded Sam Walton the Medal of Freedom. In the same year, Sam Walton died, and the business passed to his wife and children.

Descendants of Walton

Today, many critics say that Walton's children have done nothing useful for the company, but are only reaping the fruits of their father's labor and tenacity. Others say that Walton's descendants are still guided by the principles that their father adhered to in doing business, and therefore Wal-Mart will never go broke. One way or another, Sam Walton's children - Jim, Alice, John, Robson, and his wife Helen - are some of the richest people in the world, and if you add their fortunes together, then the richest family in the world.

Best quotes from Sam Walton

Always be the first to speak to the person. If I always waited for someone to contact me or to speak to me, I would never have formed the network of my contacts that are so necessary in business.
Your only boss is your customer. This person is able to ruin an entire company, or demote its director to a security guard, simply by starting to regularly buy goods in another store.
In any store, sellers will treat customers the same way store management treats sellers.
When people ask me about saving, I always say the same phrase: “In my entire life I have purchased eighteen aircraft. But I didn’t buy any of them new. ”
Don't go with the flow. Swim above him.

Operating profit ▼ $ 22.764 billion (2017) Net profit ▼ $ 13.643 billion (2017) Assets ▼ $ 198.825 billion (2017) Capitalization $ 239 billion (20.05.2017) Number of employees 2.3 million (2016) Affiliated companies Sam "s Club, Massmart[d], Walmart canada[d], Walmart chile[d], Walmart de México y Centroamérica [d], Seiyu Group[d], Asda, Kosmix[d], Walmart [d], Más Club[d], Líderr[d], Hypermart USA[d], Amigo supermarkets[d], Walmart Neighborhood Market[d], Asda mobile[d], Marketside[d] and Vudu[d] Auditor Ernst & Young LLP Site www.walmart.com Wal-Mart Stores at Wikimedia Commons

History

Founded on July 2, 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas by Sam Moore Walton. He acquired his first store in 1945 as a franchise from the Ben Franklin chain; by the end of the 1950s, he and his brother James Lawrence Walton owned 9 stores of this chain. He proposed to the owners of the chain the idea of opening large shopping centers in small towns with prices close to wholesale. Rejected, he founded his own chain in 1962, calling it Wal-Mart Discount City. By the late 1960s, 18 Wal-Mart stores had opened, and in October 1969, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. was registered, in 1970 it became public, in 1972 it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In the early 1970s, the company began building its own warehouses, which, combined with low advertising costs, kept prices lower than the competition. In 1977, 16 Mohr-Value stores were bought, the following year expanded with the acquisition of the Hutchenson Shoe Company and the establishment of pharmaceutical, service and jewelery divisions. By 1979, the company had 276 malls in 11 states, reaching $ 1.25 billion in sales.

In 1983, the first three Sam's Club wholesale shopping centers were opened, by 1991 their number reached 148. In 1987, the company opened the first shopping center Hypermart USA format, which, in addition to the supermarket, also included restaurants, banks, children's playgrounds, etc. ). By 1988, when David Glass succeeded the founder as president, the company was represented in 24 states, it had 1,182 shopping malls and 90 clubs. wholesale trade... At the same time, the company was criticized for tough relationships with suppliers, crowding out smaller competitors, a high share of imported goods(25-30%). In 1990, Wal-Mart became the largest retail chain in the United States and continued to expand rapidly. In 1990, Western Merchandise, Inc., a Texas-based book, music and video company, and the McLane Company, Inc. were bought. In 1991, The Wholesale Club, Inc., a chain of wholesale clubs, was acquired, merged with Sam's Club. Also in 1991, a joint venture was formed with Mexico's largest retail chain Cifra, S.A. de C.V. With the death of Sam Walton, his eldest son Robson Walton took over as chairman of the board. In a 1993 NBC report, Wal-Mart was accused of using low-paid child labor in Bangladesh to produce goods labeled as made in the United States. By the mid-1990s, the company had reached its limits of growth in the home market and began to expand overseas. In 1994, 122 Woolco stores were purchased from the Woolworth Corporation in Canada for $ 335 million. In the following years, joint ventures were established in Argentina, Brazil and China; in 1997, a controlling stake in Mexican partner Cifra was purchased for $ 1.2 billion. The development of Europe began in Germany, where in December 1997 the Wertkauf chain, which consisted of 21 hypermarkets, was bought for $ 880 million. A year later, another chain was purchased from SPAR Handels AG, Interspar, which consisted of 74 hypermarkets. In 1999, ASDA Group plc was bought in the UK for $ 10.8 billion, which operated 229 shopping centers and had a turnover of $ 13.2 billion. In the late 1990s, the presence in Asia also expanded: the number of shopping centers in China was increased and a not particularly successful entry into the markets of Korea and Indonesia was made. By 1998, overseas operations accounted for 6.4% of turnover ($ 7.5 billion), at which time (since 1997) Wal-Mart Stores became one of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In the US market, the company began to develop a Neighborhood Market format, with a retail space of no more than 4000 m².

Typical Wal-Mart in the US outback

In 2000, Lee Scott was named president of the company, under whom Wal-Mart Stores continued to grow. In 2002, a 35 percent stake in the Japanese company Seiyu, Ltd. was purchased. In 2003, the company's turnover reached $ 244.52 billion and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. became the largest company in the world as well as the largest non-governmental employer. Wal-Mart accounted for 10% of US imports from China, and the company's low-price focus played a significant role in low US inflation. However, the company's status as the largest company has attracted a fair amount of criticism as to how this success was achieved. In particular, questions arose regarding relations with employees: staff turnover among hourly workers was 44% per year, average wage employees were below the federal poverty level, employees were forced to work overtime, there was gender discrimination, and numerous class and individual lawsuits were filed against the company. Wal-Mart has also been accused of violating US anti-corruption laws while expanding its presence in Mexico, Brazil and Asia. By 2005, Wal-Mart's imports from China reached 1% of that country's GDP.

In 2006, the South Korean and German projects Wal-Mart. 11 large retail stores... Wal-Mart tried to break even the market for several years, but the administration of the chain was forced to admit defeat and sell outlets competitor. In Germany, Interspar and Wertkauf lost $ 100 million annually. On July 27, 2006, there was an official announcement about the sale of 85 stores by Wal-Mart, which employed more than 11 thousand people, with a total turnover of 2 billion euros per year. The buyer was Metro Group.

In 2011, a 51% stake in the South African company Massmart Holdings Ltd, which owned a supermarket chain in South Africa, as well as in several other African countries, was bought for $ 4 billion.

In 2016, California was fined $ 1 million for selling plastic bags as biodegradable, although testing has shown that they are not 100% biodegradable in soil.

On August 8, 2016, Walmart announced a $ 3 billion purchase of one of the fastest growing online marketplace companies Jet.com, and under the terms of the deal, the founder and general manager Mark Laure (English)Russian and senior executives at Jet.com will join the Walmart team and lead the retailer's online sales department for several years.

On May 9, 2018, Walmart announced the purchase of 77% of the Indian e-commerce market leader Flipkart for $ 16 billion. It was the largest acquisition in Walmart history and the largest transaction in e-commerce history. It is also worth noting that investors reacted negatively to Walmart's announcement of the deal with Flipkart, skeptical about the company's prospects in the Indian market. Walmart shares fell 3.1% after the deal.

Owners and management

In total, at the end of March 2017, the company had 236 thousand shareholders. The largest shareholders of the company are the heirs of the founder of the company Sam Walton through Walton Enterprises LLC (43%) and Walton Family Holdings Trust (5.3%).

Greg Penner (eng. Greg penner), genus. December 18, 1969 in Atherton (California) - Chairman of the Board since 2015, member of the Board of Directors since 2008. Robson Walton's son-in-law (eng. S. Robson Walton), after whose resignation he took this post. Education: Georgetown University and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Douglas Macmillon (eng. Doug McMillon), genus. October 17, 1966 in Memphis, Tennessee - President and Chief Executive Director from 2014, from 2009 to 2014, he was vice president and headed the international division of the company, from 2005 to 2009 he headed the Sam’s Club division; in the company since 1984. Graduated from the University of Arkansas and the University of Tulsa.

Activity

Walmart is a leader in the adoption of RFID tag technology in commerce.

Wal-mart in the USA

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. consists of three main divisions:

USA ( Walmart U.S.) - retail and internet commerce and related financial services such as money transfers, check cashing, prepaid cards; includes 3522 supermarkets, 415 discount centers and 735 minimarkets; most widely represented in Texas (501), Florida (326), California (281), North Carolina (194), Georgia (192), Illinois (162), Ohio (145), Tennessee (139), Pennsylvania (138) , Virginia (136), Missouri (136), Oklahoma (123), Louisiana (122), Indiana (115), South Carolina (108), New York (100); turnover at the end of the fiscal year ended January 31, 2017 amounted to $ 308 billion, assets amounted to $ 104 billion.

Wal-Mart's international presence

In the list of the largest public companies in the world Forbes Global 2000 for 2017, the company took 17th place, including 1st in terms of turnover, 19th in net profit, 154th in terms of assets and 22nd in market capitalization; also ranked 9th among largest companies USA and 22nd place in the list of the most valuable brands in the world.

Performance indicators

Financial performance in billions of US dollars

Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Turnover	112,0	129,2	153,3	178,0	201,2	226,5	252,8	281,5	308,9	345,0	374,5	404,3	408,1	421,8	447,0	468,7	476,3	485,7	482,1	485,9
Net profit	3,504	4,397	5,324	6,235	6,592	7,955	9,054	10,27	11,23	11,28	12,73	13,24	14,45	15,36	15,77	16,96	15,92	16,18	14,69	13,64
Assets	44,22	47,07	67,29	74,32	79,30	90,23	102,5	117,1	136,2	151,6	163,5	163,1	170,4	180,8	193,4	202,9	204,5	203,5	199,6	198,8
Equity	18,52	21,14	25,88	31,41	35,19	39,46	43,62	49,40	53,17	61,57	64,51	64,97	70,47	68,54	71,32	76,34	76,26	81,39	80,55	77,80
Outlets, thousand	3,373	3,493	3,884	4,073	4,294	4,563	4,799	5,182	6,037	6,779	7,262	7,909	8,459	8,970	10,13	10,77	10,94	11,45	11,53	11,69

Inside a Wal-Mart store

Wal-Mart Stores in Russia

Company representatives have repeatedly stressed the importance of Russian market For the company. In September 2008, Wal-Mart Stores registered a subsidiary entity in Russia - VM Eastern Europe Holdings, LLK LLC. This company joined the Association of Retail Companies (AKORT), which is the main lobbyist for the interests of Russian retail chains.

After opening an office in Russia, Wal-Mart Stores tried to create a joint venture with X5 Retail Group on the basis of the Karusel hypermarket chain, but the deal did not materialize. Then, in 2008, the American retailer participated in a tender for the purchase of 89% of the St. Petersburg hypermarket chain "Lenta", but the deal also did not take place.

In 2010, Wal-Mart Stores negotiated the purchase of the Kopeyka chain from companies owned by Nikolai Tsvetkov, head of FC Uralsib. However, after the acquisition of Kopeyka by the Russian retailer X5 Retail Group for 51.5 billion rubles in early December 2010, Wal-Mart decided to close the Russian representative office. According to Doug McMillon, president of the international division of Wal-Mart Stores, the company remains interested in the Russian grocery market, but does not see partners for cooperation in the near future.

In September 2011, an appointment was announced as Senior Vice President of Wal-Mart Stores Russian manager Lev Khasis, ex-head of X5 Retail Group. Its main areas of work should be the integration of acquired networks, global synergy and innovation.

Criticism

A number of critics [ who?] the chain claims Walmart is driving small retailers out of the market, including small family stores. Also, a number of individuals and organizations cite evidence that Walmart puts pressure on suppliers, "squeezing" from them lower purchase prices, chain stores negatively affect the environment, and staff rights are often violated.

Wal-Mart is known for its fierce opposition to union activities in its stores. [ ]

In 2001, the book Counting Pennies: How to (Not) Make ends meet in America by Barbara Ehrenreich was published. This book described Wal-Mart from the inside out and contained numerous descriptions of employee rights violations while working for the company.

Notes (edit)

Annual Report for the Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2017 on SEC Filing Form 10-K. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc .. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc - Quote. Reuters. Retrieved May 20, 2017.

I bring to your attention short description Walmart - a store with a large assortment of goods and low prices. Walmart also sells merchandise online.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. better known to buyers as Walmart (Walmart) - American multinational corporation retail, which is a chain of large discount stores and warehouse stores.

According to the Fortune Global 500 (2013), the company is the second largest corporation in the world; also the largest employer with over 2 million employees; the world's largest seller. The company remains a family-owned business. The company is controlled by the Walton family, which owns over 50% of Walmart. It is one of the most valuable companies in the world.

The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962. At first, its office was based in Arkansas, but already in the late 80s, it grew from a regional to a national giant. By 1988, Walmart was the most profitable selling company in the United States and by 1989 the most profitable. Until the mid-80s, geographically limited to the south and part of the west of the country, by the early 90s the company was present in the country everywhere - from one coast to another.

Today Walmart has 8,500 stores in 15 countries around the world. The stores are open under 55 different names. The company operates stores under the Walmart names in the United States (including 50 states and Puerto Rico). In other countries, for example, Walmart de Mexico y Centraamerica (Mexico), Asda (England), Seiyu (Japan) ... Walmart is successful in most countries (for example, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, England, China, South America ) and unsuccessful in some - in Germany and South Korea. In 2009, Walmart accounted for 51% of all 258 billion US grocery profits.

The success of this corporation was laid at the very beginning of its creation by a successful choice of a development strategy. When Sem Walton, a businessman and former J.C. Penney employee, bought out Ben Franklin Stores in 1945, he focused on selling high-demand goods at low prices. This increased the marketability of the product. The buyer, on the other hand, was glad of the good fortune, the profit in the purchase.

This idea, based on an understanding of what the customer wants and what is pleasant to feel, formed the basis of the strategy for the development of Sem Walton's chain of stores. And in 2005, Walmart had $ 312.4 billion in sales, had more than 6,000 facilities worldwide, including 3,800 stores in the US and 2,800 in other countries. It had over 1.6 million employees. In 2005, the Walmart chain of stores was so widespread in the United States that only very small and isolated townships were more than 60 miles (100km) from the nearest store.

Who is the main buyer of such a successful chain of stores?

Mostly not rich people. The average Walmart shopper earns less than the US national average. In 2006, Walmart analyzed its 200 million customer base and identified them as 6 major groups. These are the groups: African-Americans; wealthy; parents who raised their children and now live separately; Hispanic city dwellers; suburbanites. The stores of the chain are focused on meeting the purchasing needs of these groups of the population.

According to how shoppers view store prices, they are divided into three main groups: 1. People who earn little money, but are in pursuit of fashion brands. 2. Wealthy, but trying to buy cheaper goods. 3. People who like low prices and also cannot afford to buy anything at higher prices.

Naturally Walmart is crowding out small local shops (especially in small towns). Professor Kenneth Stone (Iowa State University) writes that small towns lose more than half of their income in 10 years when Walmart starts operating nearby. True, some others believe that other factors, not Walmart, are driving profits.

Does such a successful corporation donate money to the social needs of the population?
Sem Walton has never been a philanthropist. He believed that as soon as he started making a lot of money, people would expect that he would give this money away for no reason. However, being successful businessman, he invested a lot of money in education, helping people to achieve life success labor. Since the death of Sem Walton in 1992, the Walmart and Walmart Foundation has dramatically increased all donations.

So, the Walmart store chain caters to a poor customer. It is known that if the buyer does not belong to the rich, then, naturally, it is more difficult for him to get a good education, to become familiar with the values of culture, etc. This leaves an imprint on his lifestyle, the nature of communication with other people, the sphere of interests.

When you come to Walmart, you should be ready for it. You can't expect your purchased merchandise to be beautifully wrapped in a branded paper bag tied with a ribbon (like Coldwater Creek); they will take it out and serve you, standing face to face (as in Nordstrom), and not across the cashier table; will smile at you so sincerely that your mood will be good throughout the day (like in Talbots) ... In a Walmart store, things can be a little different. And the goods you bought are simply shoved into a branded gray plastic bag, and in the fitting room they will count how many things you have taken for fitting, and at the exit they may (albeit only sometimes) ask to show a receipt for the purchased goods ...

However, both the store staff and customers are friendly and willingly respond to requests for help. Naturally, no one will try to go out of line to the checkout, or pass between people who are in line (there are small queues during the hours when people return from work and on weekends when groceries and other goods are purchased for the week).

If you bought a product and want to return it, no problem: they will gladly accept it back in a special department and will be friendly just like when making a purchase. Despite the fact that the store's customers are mostly people who count every penny, they do not look annoyed, sullen, or angry at all. On the contrary, in the store they have fun with children (there are always a lot of children here), discussing purchases, creating a kind of relaxed and, at the same time, business atmosphere of Walmart.

Like many other stores, Walmart has dedicated electric trolleys for the disabled or just old people. When they are free, you can see young shoppers using them in the store (either for fun or for shopping). Probably, buyers, for example, Wegmans would never have done this.

Of course, there are times when some people feel uncomfortable that someone they know meets at Walmart. If earlier a person could afford to shop in a more expensive store, but suddenly his financial situation has changed and he visits Walmart - it can be a test for him.

But if you need a trinket or something rarely used and special that you looked for in all stores and did not find - go to Walmart and there, most likely, you will find the necessary thing. It can be anything for sewing or knitting, for the garden, for the kitchen, for organizing children's party, for apartment renovation and design ... Sometimes it seems that this store has everything. Naturally, what you are looking for at Walmart will not be of the same quality (and, accordingly, value) as it can be in other stores aimed at the wealthy shopper. However, you can be glad that you have saved money.

Walmart even has a department of fabrics and accessories, not at all large, but there is (there are no such departments in other American stores at all).

You shouldn't think that everything in this store will be cheaper. In the store, goods are often cheaper, but not all and not always. This is especially true for food. Often a higher quality product for a lower price can be bought in a good grocery store(especially if it is focused on selling so-called family packages). But you can buy cheap shoes, a trendy T-shirt, a fun summer dress for a kid, cheap sweatpants, and more at Walmart.

What brands can you buy at Walmart? These are brands Samsung, Apple, LEI, Wrangler, Hanes, Faded Glory, etc. The store has a lot of children's goods, including toys. The store sells children's products from Disney, Hello Kitty, Fisher Price, Lego, Barbie, Sesame Street and others.

Walmart also has its own brands. This, for example, Sam "s Choice ( different types food), Great Value (traditionally staple foods), Equate (some medicines, pregnancy tests, cosmetics, etc.), Mainstays (furniture, home decor items), OI'Roy (dog food), Dr. Thunder ( drinks), Special Kitty (cat food), Parent's Choice (baby food, diapers, etc.), White Stay (women's clothing, shoes, jewelry), George (formal wear for men, women, children), etc.

There are many shoppers at Walmart every day. You can always save money here.

Buy online at: Walmart.com

DEAR INTERMEDIARIES!

IF YOU ARE PURCHASING AT WALMART, PLEASE INFORM (IN A CONVENIENT WAY FOR YOU) YOUR COORDINATES AND TERMS OF RETURNING.

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