WALMART Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is an American multinational retail corporation that operates chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, the company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated on October 31, It has over 11,000 stores in 27 countries, under a total 71 different banners. The company operates under the Walmart name in the US and Puerto Rico. It operates in Mexico as Walmart de México y Centroamérica, in the United Kingdom as Asda, in Japan as Seiyu, and in India as Best Price. It has wholly owned operations in Argentina, Brazil, and Canada. Walmart is the world's largest company by revenue, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2014, the biggest private employer in the world with over two million employees, and the largest retailer in the world. Walmart is a family-owned business, as the company is controlled by the Walton family, who own over 50 percent of Walmart through their holding company, Walton Enterprises. It is also one of the world's most valuable companies (in terms of market value), and is also the largest grocery retailer in the US. In 2009, it generated 51 percent of its US$258 billion (equivalent to $284 billion in 2014) sales in the US from grocery business. It also owns and operates the Sam's Club retail warehouses in North America.

HISTORY On July 2, 1962, Walton opened the first Walmart Discount City store at 719 W. Walnut Street in Rogers, Arkansas. The building is now occupied by a hardware store and an antique mall, while the company's "Store #1" — since converted and relocated to a Supercenter concept — is located several blocks west down Walnut Street as of Within its first five years, the company expanded to 24 stores across Arkansas and reached $12.6 million in sales. In 1968, it opened its first stores outside Arkansas, in Sikeston, Missouri and Claremore, Oklahoma.

Retail hegemony and rise to multinational status (1990–2005) Logo used from 1992 to By 1988, Walmart was more profitable than its rivals Kmart and Sears and was the dominant retailer in the Bible Belt; by 1990, it outsold both in terms of revenue and became the largest US retailer in sales revenue. Prior to the summer of 1990, Walmart had no presence on the West Coast or in the Northeast (aside from a single Sam's Club in New Jersey opened in November 1989), but in July and October that year, it opened its first stores in California and Pennsylvania respectively. By the mid-1990s, it was far and away the most powerful retailer in the United States and expanded into Mexico in 1991 and Canada in It spread to New England, Maryland, Delaware, Hawaii, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest last, Vermont being the last state to get a store in In 1998, Walmart introduced the "Neighborhood Market" concept with three stores in Arkansas. By 2005, estimates indicate that the company controlled about 20 percent of the retail grocery and consumables business.

Current developments ( ) In January 2011, at the urging of Michelle Obama and her staff, Walmart announced a program to improve the nutritional value of its store brands over the next five years, gradually reducing the amount of salt and sugar, and eliminating trans fat. Walmart also promised to negotiate with suppliers such as Kraft with respect to nutritional issues. Reductions in the prices of whole foods and vegetables were also promised as well as efforts to open stores in low-income areas, "food deserts", where there are no supermarkets. On April 23, 2011, the company announced that it was testing its new "Walmart To Go" home delivery system where customers will be able to order specific items offered on their website such as groceries, toiletries, and household supplies. The initial test is in San Jose, California, and the company has not said whether it will be rolled out nationwide. On November 14, 2012, Walmart launched their first mail subscription service called Goodies. Customers pay a $7 monthly subscription for five to eight delivered food samples each month, so they can try new foods. In August 2013, the firm announced it was in talks to acquire a majority stake in the Kenya-based supermarket chain, Naivas. In July 2014, American actor and comedian Tracy Morgan launched a lawsuit against Walmart seeking punitive damages over a multi-car pile-up which the suit alleges was caused by the driver of one of the firm's tractor-trailers who had not slept for 24 hours. Morgan's limousine was apparently hit by the trailer injuring him and two fellow passengers and killing a fourth, fellow comedian James McNair.

Walmart's truck fleet logs millions of miles each year, and the company planned to double the fleet's efficiency between 2005 and This truck is one of 15 based at Walmart's Buckeye, Arizona distribution center that was converted to run on a biofuel made from reclaimed cooking grease produced during food preparation at Walmart stores.

Operating Divisions Walmart's operations are organized into three divisions: Walmart Stores U.S., Sam's Club, and Walmart International. 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. Walmart Stores U.S. is the company's largest division, accounting for $258 billion (equivalent to $279 billion in 2014), or 63.8 percent of total sales for financial year It consists of three retail formats that have become commonplace in the United States: Discount Stores, Supercenters, and Walmart Markets. The retail department stores sell a variety of mostly non-grocery products, though emphasis has now shifted towards supercenters, which include more grocery items. This division also includes Walmart's online retailer

The exterior of a Walmart in Bellingham, Washington.

A Walmart Discount Store in Laredo, Texas featuring the former logo.

Sam's Club store in Maplewood, Missouri