Walmart (officiellement Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) est une entreprise américaine multinationale spécialisée dans la grande distribution, fondée par Sam Walton et aujourd'hui présidée par son fils aîné, S. Robson Walton.

Fondée sous ce nom en 1962, elle s'est rapidement développée en Arkansas, puis a dominé tous les États-Unis pour commencer à s'internationaliser à partir de 1991. En Europe, les magasins sont présents en Grande-Bretagne sous l'enseigne Asda. Walmart s'attaque désormais au marché asiatique. Installé en Chine depuis 1996, le groupe employait une trentaine de milliers de travailleurs dans ce pays en 2006[4]. Il est également présent au Japon sous l'enseigne Seiyu. En 2005, 20 millions de clients fréquentaient les magasins Walmart en moyenne chaque jour[4].

En 2009, avec des ventes s'élevant à 404,16 milliards de dollars américains et 14,335 milliards de dollars de bénéfices[5], Walmart a pris la place de seconde entreprise mondiale en termes de chiffre d'affaires. Avec 1,9 million de salariés travaillant dans plus de 6 100 supermarchés et hypermarchés (mais aussi dans les filiales), le groupe peut revendiquer le titre de plus grosse entreprise du monde. C'est le premier employeur privé aux États-Unis avec 1,2 million de salariés, appelés « associés », mais aussi celui du Mexique sous l'enseigne Walmex.

Walmart est le premier distributeur généraliste des États-Unis avec 3500 magasins et 20 % de part de marché estimée et le premier distributeur de jouets avec 45 % de part de marché estimée, ayant dépassé Toys "R" Us à la fin des années 1990. Histoire

Les débuts en Arkansas

L'histoire de Walmart peut remonter jusqu'aux années 1940, quand Sam Walton débuta sa carrière dans la vente au détail. Il se vit offrir, juste avant d'être diplômé de l'Université du Missouri à Columbia, deux postes dans la grande distribution, chez Sears et J. C. Penney. Il accepta l'offre de travail du deuxième et commença à travailler dans un magasin J. C. Penney à Des Moines, dans l'Iowa, le 3 juin 1940, pour un salaire de 75 USD par mois. Durant ce travail, il put rencontrer James Cash Penney, le fondateur de cette chaine de magasins, durant une visite. Il resta chez J.C. Penney durant huit mois.

En septembre 1945, Sam Walton acheta à George Scharlott la franchise et le bail d'un Ben Franklin à Newport dans l'Arkansas. Ce magasin faisait partie d'une chaîne dirigée par les Butler Brothers, un détaillant régional. Après trois années dans l'entreprise, Walton augmenta les ventes annuelles de 80 000 USD à 225 000 USD en 1948. Malgré cela, le dirigeant, P.K. Holmes, décida de ne pas renouveler le bail et Walton fut forcé de déménager avant la fin de l'année 1950. Walton souhaitait acheter un five-and-dime de Jim Dodson à Siloam Springs, en Arkansas, mais les deux n'étaient pas d'accord sur le prix d'achat (une différence de 5 000 USD). Le 9 mai 1950, Walton acheta un magasin de Luther E. Harrison à Bentonville, Arkansas, et ouvrit Walton's 5 & 10. Plus tard, le village de Ozark Moutain avec ses 2 900 habitants deviendrait le siège social de la future Walmart. Walton cherchait toujours les meilleurs accords possibles avec ses fournisseurs et il réalisa qu'il pouvait augmenter ses ventes en accordant à ses clients les rabais qu'il en obtenait. En 1962, il avait déjà neuf Walton¶s Stores. Inspiré par le succès des chaînes de distribution, Walton ouvrit le premier magasin de sa chaîne de distribution à Rogers, dans l'Arkansas, cette année-là. Responsable des achats et de la maintenance de signage, l'assistant de Sam, Bob Bogle, proposa le nom « Wal-Mart » pour la nouvelle chaîne. En 1967, l'entreprise grandit et finit par posséder 24 magasins disséminés en Arkansas, et atteignit 12,6 millions de dollars américains de ventes.

En 1968, l'entreprise ouvrit son premier magasin en dehors de l'Arkansas, à Sikeston, dans le Missouri et à Claremore, en Oklahoma. Sam préférait s'installer dans des petits villages plutôt que dans des grandes villes, et possédait 78 magasins en 1974. Un service informatique inter- magasins fut créé pour améliorer la communication et les commandes, et trois années plus tard, les ventes plus que triplèrent, passant de 167,5 millions à 479 millions de dollars américains et le nombre de magasins augmenta jusqu'à 163. La chaîne continua de grossir dans les décennies suivantes.

Création et expansion de l'entreprise[modifier]

L'entreprise fut fondée le 31 octobre 1969 sous le nom de Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. et, en 1970, elle ouvrit son siège à Bentonville, Arkansas, ainsi que son premier centre de distribution. L'entreprise possédait alors 38 magasins disséminés en Arkansas et employait 1 500 personnes pour 44,2 millions de dollars de ventes. L'entreprise entra en Bourse en 1972 et figura la même année sur le New York Stock Exchange. À cet instant, Wal-Mart opérait dans cinq états : Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiane, Missouri et Oklahoma et arriva dans le Tennessee en 1973, le Kentucky et le Mississippi en 1974. Quand l'entreprise ouvrit au Texas en 1975, elle possédait 125 magasins et 7 500 employées, pour un chiffre d'affaires de 340,3 millions de dollars.

Wal-Mart continua de grossir rapidement durant les années 1980, et lors de son vingt-cinquième anniversaire en 1987, l'entreprise comptait 1 198 magasins et des ventes atteignant les 15,9 milliards de dollars pour 200 000 employés. Cette année fut aussi marquée par le lancement de satellites destiné à l'usage interne (un investissement chiffré à 24 millions de dollars de l'époque), permettant de relier tous les points de vente de l'entreprise au siège social de Bentonville. À l'époque, c'était le plus grand réseau de satellites privé, et il permettait à l'entreprise de transmettre l'inventaire, les ventes, et de communiquer instantanément avec les différents magasins. L'année suivante, Sam Walton laissa sa place de PDG à David Glass. Cependant, Walton resta dans l'entreprise sous le titre de "Chairman of the Corporate Board of Directors", et l'entreprise restructura également les managers "seniors", et donna des promotions à des cadres leur permettant d'acquérir une plus grande responsabilité.

Également en 1988, le premier Wal-Mart Supercenter ouvrit à Washington, Missouri. Wal-Mart étendit son concept de superstore durant les années 1990 et, peu de temps après, l'entreprise surpassa Toys "R" Us pour la vente de jouets.

Les années 1990[modifier]

Les années 1990 furent une période de croissance sans précédent et d'innovations diverses dans la gestion de l'entreprise. En 1990, les revenus de la société ont quadruplé pour atteindre 32 milliards de plus que les années précédentes et Wal-Mart racheta The McLane Company, ensuite vendu à Berkshire Hathaway en 2003. En 1991, l'entreprise se déplaça au Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey et New York. Cette même année, Wal-Mart se lança dans l'international en ouvrant son premier magasin à Mexico. L'entreprise racheta aussi Western Merchandisers, Inc. à Amarillo, au Texas. En 1991 fut aussi lancé la marque "Sam's American Choice". Sam Walton se retira le 5 avril 1992 et son fils ainé, S. Robson Walton, lui succéda comme Président du Conseil d'Administration le 7 avril 1992. Cette année, Wal-Mart était présent dans 45 États américains avec en plus l'Idaho, le Montana, l'Oregon, et Porto Rico.

En 1993, la division internationale de Wal-Mart promut Bobby Martin président. L'entreprise compléta son expansion aux États-Unis avec l'entrée en Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island et Washington. En décembre 1993, les magasins Wal-Mart atteignirent pour la première fois la somme de 1 milliard de dollars de chiffre d'affaires en une seule semaine.

Wal-Mart acheta 91 PACE Membership Warehouse à Kmart et 122 magasins Woolco au Canada en 1994. La même année, Wal-Mart ouvrit trois clubs à Hong-Kong, atteignant un total de 123 magasins au Canada et 96 au Mexique. Plus tard dans l'année, le programme appelé "Code Adam" fut lancé pour les enfants disparus. Le projet fut intitulé ainsi à cause de l'histoire de Adam Walsh, un enfant de 6 ans disparu dans un magasin en Floride et retrouvé mort en 1981. Toutes les autres chaines de distribution ont adopté des programmes similaires depuis.

En 1995, Wal-Mart possédait 1995 Discount Stores, 239 Supercenters, 433 Sam's club et 276 International Stores, cumulant des ventes à 93,6 milliards de dollars et employant 675 000 personnes. Wal-Mart entra dans le cinquantième État américain, le Vermont et continua son expansion internationale avec le marché de l'Amérique du Sud : trois unités en Argentine et cinq au Brésil. L'entreprise se lança sur le marché chinois en 1996 dans le cadre d'une coentreprise.

En 1997, Wal-Mart remplaça Woolworth's sur le Dow Jones Industrial Average. L'entreprise dépassait pour la première fois la barre symbolique des 100 milliards de dollars de ventes sur l'année avec 118,1 milliards. Cette même année, Wal-Mart acheta 21 magasins Wertkauf en Allemagne et lança son centre de nutrition OneSource.

En 1998, Wal-Mart créa un nouveau concept avec 3 magasins en Arkansas : les Neighborhood Market (« commerces de proximité », ou « dépanneurs » au Québec). Ils permettent principalement d'acheter de la nourriture et sont conçus dans l'optique d'attirer le consommateur grâce un stationnement aisé et un gain de temps sur les files d'attente.

Wal-Mart lança aussi le Wal-Mart Television Network, un vaste réseau de publicité à l'intérieur des magasins permettant au consommateur d'être au courant des promotions en cours, des concerts à venir, des bande-annonces pour les lancements de DVD. En février 2005, une étude a estimé que ce réseau était regardé par 130 millions de personnes par mois, avec en moyenne 7 minutes de visionnage à chaque fois qu'une personne vient dans un magasin Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart se positionna aussi en Corée du Sud en 1998 par un accord de coentreprise. L'entreprise quitta le marché coréen en juillet 2006 après avoir perdu des millions de dollars dans la féroce compétition qui l'opposa aux grands distributeurs locaux.

En 1999, Wal-Mart employait 1 140 000 associés, faisant de l'entreprise le plus grand employeur privé mondial. Profitant de résultats toujours mirobolants, l'entreprise racheta cette même année ASDA Group plc, un distributeur gérant 229 magasins au Royaume-Uni pour 10 milliards de dollars.

De 2000 à nos jours

En 2000, quand H. Lee Scott fut nommé Président et PDG de l'entreprise, les ventes ont encore augmenté pour atteindre le total de 165 milliards de dollars. En 2002 Wal-Mart fit son entrée dans la liste Fortune 500 qui recense les plus grandes entreprises mondiales, avec un chiffre d'affaires de 219,8 milliards de dollars pour 6,7 milliards de profits. Ensuite, l'entreprise fut classé première tous les ans à partir de 2002 (excepté en 2006).

En 2004, le groupe a acquis la chaîne de supermarchés Amigo à Porto Rico pour 17 milliards de dollars.

Les employés d¶un Walmart de Jonquière, au Québec, se syndicalisent et deviennent les premiers employés de Walmart syndiqués en Amérique du Nord. Cinq mois plus tard, Walmart annonce la fermeture de ce magasin, sur ordre du conseil d'administration.

En 2005, l'entreprise crée deux nouveaux magasins expérimentaux, l'un à McKinney au Texas et l'autre à Aurora au Colorado, possédant des éoliennes, des panneaux photovoltaïques, etc. Walmart ouvre le site Walmart facts[6] dans un mouvement de relations publiques pour répondre aux critiques. Le groupe a notamment été condamné par la justice en Allemagne pour avoir interdit à ses salariés de flirter et la mise en place d'un service téléphonique permettant de dénoncer les uns les autres.

Le 26 juin 2006, Walmart annonce que l'entreprise se retire totalement du marché allemand. L'importante part de marché du hard discount en Allemagne (autour de 30 %) n'a pas permis à Walmart de se développer comme il l'a fait aux États-Unis. Les 85 magasins existant sont revendus à la chaîne de supermarchés allemande Metro AG.

Le 12 septembre 2007, après 19 années sans changement, Walmart lance un nouveau slogan, « Économisez plus. Vivez mieux. »[7], remplaçant l'ancien, « Des bas prix de tous les jours »[8]. L'entreprise commissionna Global Insight pour obtenir des statistiques sur la nouvelle campagne. D'après le rapport, la concurrence crée par Walmart permettrait aux familles américaines d'économiser 287 milliards de dollars américains soit 2 500 $US par foyer[9], en hausse de 7,3 % depuis 2004[10]. En janvier 2008, Walmart ouvre sa deuxième génération de magasins « verts » dans l'Illinois[11].

En mars 2008, Walmart poursuit son acquisition du distributeur japonais Seiyu, malgré le fait que le géant américain de la distribution n'ait jamais enregistré de profits au Japon. Walmart possède dorénavant plus de 3000 magasins hors des États-Unis[12].

Le 30 juin 2008, Walmart dévoile un nouveau logo pour l'entreprise, avec l'absence notoire de l'étoile entre les mots « Wal » et « Mart », et suivi d'un dessin stylisé. L'ancien logo a été utilisé 18 ans.

En novembre 2010, Wal-Mart Stores lance une OPA sur 51% du distributeur sud africain Massmart, pour un coût évalué à 1,61 milliard d'euros, afin prendre pied sur le continent africain [13] .

Organisation de l'entreprise[modifier]

L'entreprise est axée sur trois réseaux principaux de distribution : Wal-Mart Stores Division U.S., Sam's Club, et Wal-Mart International[14]. L'entreprise fonctionne avec neuf tailles de magasins différentes : supercenters, food and drugs, general merchandise stores, bodegas (petits commerçants), cash and carry stores, membership warehouse clubs, apparel stores, soft discount stores et restaurants[14].

Wal-Mart Stores Division U.S.[modifier]

Wal-Mart Stores Division U.S. est le plus grand réseau de distribution, représentant 67,2% des ventes pour l'année fiscale 2006[14]. Ce segment consiste en trois formats de magasins aux États- Unis : Discount Stores, Supercenters et Neighborhood markets. Cette division comprend également Walmart.com, le site de vente en ligne. Le 6 février 2007, l'entreprise a lancé une version bêta de son service de vidéo à la demande[15], qui vend 3 000 films et épisodes de séries télévisées provenant de presque tous les majors cinématographiques et réseaux de télévision[16].

Wal-Mart Discount Stores[modifier]

Wal-Mart Discount Stores est une chaîne de magasins d'une taille variant de 9 200 m2 à 20 800 m2, avec une surface moyenne de 9 400 m2[14].

Ils vendent des produits d'usage quotidien et, surtout, des produits alimentaires. Beaucoup ont aussi un espace consacré au jardinage, une pharmacie, Tire & Lube Express, un centre optique, un laboratoire photographique, et des fast-foods. Certains possèdent aussi une station service. Le premier a ouvert à Rogers, en Arkansas en 1963. Il fut ensuite agrandit et réaménagé pour en faire un Wal-Mart Supercenter 24H.

Au 31 octobre 2007, il y avait 988 Wal-Mart Discount Stores aux États-Unis. En 2006, le Discount Store le plus actif au monde était celui de Rapid City, au Dakota du Sud. Wal-Mart Supercenter[modifier]

Wal-Mart Supercenters est une chaine d'hypermarché de surface variable, de 9 100 m2 à 24 248 m2 pour les plus grands, avec une moyenne de 18 302 m2. Les Supercenters vendent tout ce que vend un Discount Store, mais aussi tous les services d'un supermarché : viandes, volailles, nourriture surgelée, produits de la mer, etc. Beaucoup de Wal-Mart Supercenters ont d'autres services associés : espace jardin, animalerie, pharmacie, centre optique, laboratoire photo, et de nombreux autres magasins accolés : téléphones portables, salon de coiffure, location de DVD, banques, restaurants rapides, station-service (dont la majorité proviennent de Mobil Oil Corporation (renommé « Murphy USA »), de Sunoco (« Optima ») et de Tesoro Corporation (« Mirastar »).

Le premier Supercenter a ouvert en 1998 à Washington, dans le Missouri. Un Wal-Mart Hypermart USA similaire s'est ouvert à Garland, au Texas. Tous les Hypermart USA ont ensuite été fermés ou convertit en Supercenters. Le 31 octobre 2007, il y avait 2 419 Wal-Mart Supercenters aux États-Unis.

Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market[modifier]

Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market est une chaine de magasins à prédominance alimentaire lancée par Wal-Mart en 1998. Ces magasins sont conçus de manière opposée aux hypermarchés. De taille plus petit, ils sont faits pour « les consommateurs voulant se stationner facilement et payer rapidement ». Les magasins Neighborhood Market offrent un choix de produits, notamment une gamme complète de produits alimentaires, pharmaceutiques, de soins et cosmétiques, mais aussi un service de développement de photos et une petite sélection de marchandises générales. Habituellement situés dans des zones possédant déjà un Wal-Mart Supercenter, ils soutiennent le réseau de distribution. Au 31 octobre 2007, il y avait 128 Neighborhood Market aux États- Unis[17].

Un Neighborhood Markets possède une surface d'environ 3 900 m2, le quart de la taille d'un Supercenter aux États-Unis. Cependant, dans de nombreux pays, un magasin de cette taille est déjà classé comme supermarché ou même comme « hypermarché compact ». Un tel magasin emploie de 80 à 100 personnes et offre en moyenne 28 000 objets.

Sam's Club[modifier]

Les Sam's Club sont un nouveau concept de magasins : les entrepôts membres. D'une taille relativement petite (la taille moyenne d'un Sam's Club est de 132 000 pieds carrés[18]), chaque magasin emploie de 160 à 175 personnes pour 5 500 objets (un Supercenter en offre 142 000[18]). Il est nécessaire d'être membre pour pouvoir acheter dans les Sam's Club. Cependant, des coupons à usage unique peuvent être obtenu dans les journaux par des publicités. Les non- membres payent un surplus de 10% sur leur achat. Pour certains services, il n'est pas nécessaire d'être membre comme les laboratoires d'optique, la pharmacie ou pour acheter de l'alcool.

Les Sam's Club étant des magasins entrepôts, la plupart des marchandises sont vendus directement sur des palettes et non dans des étagères. Il y a actuellement 580 Sam's Club aux États-Unis. Il s'y vend des bijoux, des lunettes de soleil, de l'électronique, des fleurs, de la nourriture. La plupart possède aussi une pharmacie, un laboratoire photo, un opticien. Les Sam's club vendent des objets sous leurs propres marques : Member's Mark, Bakers & Chefs, et Sam's Club. Cependant, il ne s'y vend pas les Sam's Choice ou Great Value, qui sont disponibles dans les Wal-mart classique.

Le premier Sam's Club ouvrit en avril 1983 à Midwest City, en Oklahoma. Le nom vient évidemment de Sam Walton. En 1993, Wal-Mart racheta à Kmart ses PACE Membership Warehouse et les convertit (pas tous cependant) en Sam's Club. Aujourd'hui, Sam's Club a plus de 48 millions d'adhérents aux États-Unis dans ses 580 magasins. On trouve aussi une centaine de Sam's Club à l'international : Brésil, Chine, Mexique et Porto Rico. Il y avait six Sam's Club au Canada, mais face à la concurrence avec Costco et à la situation économique de 2009, l'administration de Wal-Mart annonça le 27 février 2009 qu'elle allait fermer les six magasins Sam's Club du Canada le 1er mars 2009[19]. La division Sam's Club de Wal-mart Stores, Inc. a un revenu total de 37,1 milliards de dollars pour l'année fiscale 2005. Le concurrent principal des Sam's Club sont les Costco Wholesale.

Wal-Mart International[modifier]

Wal mart's International gère actuellement 2 980 magasins dans 14 pays, hors États-Unis : Porto Rico, Canada, Mexique, Grande-Bretagne, Chine, Brésil, Argentine, Japon.

Elle représente 92 milliards de dollars de chiffre d'affaires, soit 40,7% des ventes de l'entreprise pour l'année 2007[20].

Canada[modifier] Article détaillé : Walmart Canada.

Walmart a ouvert des magasins au Canada en rachetant à Woolworth sa division Woolco. Toutes les succursales de Woolworth seront achetées par Walmart à l'exception des quelques magasins qui étaient syndiqués. En 2007, l'entreprise possédait 278 magasins, employant 70 000 Canadiens. Le siège de la division canadienne est à Mississauga, en Ontario. Le 8 novembre 2006, les trois premiers Supercenters canadiens ont ouvert leurs portes. Trois mois plus tard, il y avait déjà six Walmart Supercenters au Canada.

Japon[modifier] Article détaillé : Seiyu (entreprise).

Walmart entre au Japon en 2002 en achetant Seiyu, une entreprise possédant 400 magasins sur le territoire japonais. Depuis ce rachat, Seiyu n'a annoncé que des pertes, allant jusqu'à 20,93 milliards de yen pour l'année 2007[21].

Royaume-Uni[modifier] Article détaillé : Asda. La domination de Walmart[modifier]

Finance[modifier]

Un graphique illustrant le chiffre d'affaires de Walmart par rapport aux plus grandes entreprises françaises (Total, AXA...)

En 2006, Walmart était classée 67e en termes de rentabilité (bénéfice divisé par le chiffre d'affaires) derrière d'autres distributeurs comme Home Depot et Target, mais devant Costco et Kroger. Pour l'année fiscale 2006, le bénéfice net de Walmart s'est établi à 12,178 milliards pour 344,992 de chiffre d'affaires (soit une marge de 3.5%).

La division internationale de Walmart compte pour 20,1 % en termes de chiffe d'affaires. Au 6 décembre 2007, les ventes nettes pour les 43 semaines de 2007 ont été de 301,5 milliards de dollars, en hausse de 9,6 % par rapport à l'année précédente.

En 2009, le chiffre d'affaires était de 408,21 milliards de dollars et les bénéfices de 14,34 milliards de dollars[22].

Le client de Walmart[modifier]

Chaque semaine, plus de 176 millions de personnes à travers le monde vont dans un Walmart[23]. Les clients viennent principalement pour les bas prix, en corrélation avec le slogan de Walmart utilisé de 1962 à 2006, « Des bas prix de tous les jours ». La moyenne du revenu d'un client de Walmart est inférieure à la moyenne nationale[24] et un rapport financier de 2006 indique que les clients de Walmart ont été touchés par la hausse des coûts de l'essence[25]. Un sondage réalisé en 2004, avant l'élection présidentielle, a indiqué que 76 % des votants qui ont acheté à Walmart dans la semaine prévoyaient voter pour George W. Bush, alors que seulement 23 % penchaient pour John Kerry[26]. En comparaison avec les autres chaînes de distribution américaines, les client réguliers de Walmart sont les plus favorables au Parti conservateur[27].

En 2006, Walmart décida d'étendre sa base de consommateurs, en annonçant la fin de la stratégie "une taille pour tous" et en organisant dorénavant les magasins indifféremment pour "reflect each of six demographic groups ± African-Americans, the affluent, empty-nesters, Hispanics, suburbanites and rural residents.". Six mois plus tard, l'entreprise lança son nouveau slogan "Saving people money so they can live better lives". Celui-ci reflète les trois principaux groupes que Walmart forma parmi ses 200 millions de clients: "brand aspirationals" (les personnes à faibles revenus obsédés par les marques comme KitchenAid), "price-sensitive affluents" (clients aisés qui aiment les bons rapports qualité/prix) et les "value-price shoppers" (clients qui cherchent les prix bas et qui ne peuvent acheter plus cher). Le groupe rejeta la recommandation de l'Association des familles américaines et proposa à la vente le DVD du film Le Secret de Brokeback Mountain, une histoire d'amour entre deux cowboys dans le Wyoming.

Administration[modifier]

Cette section est vide, insuffisamment détaillée ou incomplète. Votre aide est la bienvenue !

Concurrence[modifier]

Walmart domine largement le marché américain de la grande distribution.

Le groupe français de distribution Carrefour revendique plus de 12 500 magasins dans plus de 30 pays (totalisant un chiffre d'affaires de presque 100 milliards d'euros). Ce groupe ne peut pas tout à fait être considéré comme concurrent de Walmart. En effet, Walmart a une présence majoritairement nord-américaine alors que Carrefour est notoirement absent de ces pays.

Critiques de Walmart[modifier]

Le film-reportage américain, Wal-Mart, le géant de la distribution, de Rick Young et Hedrick Smith (2004)[N 1] fait de Walmart un cas d'école sur les conséquences sociales et économiques de l'idéologie néolibérale à l'échelle d'un pays (les États-Unis) tout entier. Il montre notamment comment la majorité des fournisseurs de Walmart ont dû délocaliser leur production en Chine afin de respecter le cahier des charges exigé par Walmart au niveau des prix, ce qui a favorisé un déséquilibre croissant (200 milliards de dollars par an de déficit) en faveur de la Chine dans les échanges économiques Chine - États-Unis, et quasiment transformé ceux-ci en « pays du Tiers- Monde » exportateur de matières premières et importateur de biens manufacturés de haute technologie. Walmart a ainsi indirectement entraîné la ruine de nombre de petites villes américaines, privées de leurs industries traditionnelles, et donc une paupérisation croissante d'une bonne part de la population américaine.

Discrimination[modifier]

En 2001, sept employées américaines de Wal-Mart portent plainte pour discrimination sexuelle, assurant « être moins payées que les hommes à des postes comparables, en dépit d'une meilleure notation et d'une plus grande ancienneté »[28].

En 2007, un juge fédéral autorise ces employées à représenter l'ensemble des employées de Walmart depuis décembre 1998, impliquant ainsi environ 1,5 million de personnes[28]. Porté en appel, le jugement est maintenue de justesse (6 contre 5) par la Cour d'appel de San Francisco[28]. Porté à nouveau en appel par la compagnie, la Cour suprême des États-Unis accepte de se pencher sur le cas le 6 décembre 2010[28]. La Cour suprême américaine se prononcera avant juin 2011, et dira si elle permet la poursuite de la procédure. Jamais une si grande "class Action" action collective n'a eu lieu au US.

Antisyndicalisme[modifier]

Le slogan de la multinationale a légèrement changé depuis ses débuts passant de Always the low price - Always, qui faisait référence au meilleur prix, à Always low prices - Always qui fait plutôt référence aux bas prix en général. Les méthodes qui ont fait son succès sont aujourd'hui sources de critiques. Car les bas prix s'obtiennent par une minimisation optimale des coûts (sur les produits et sur la main-d'œuvre). Le groupe est donc connu pour les très bas salaires de ses employés et pour ses positions très antisyndicales.

Durant 40 ans d'existence, aucun magasin du groupe n'a compté de représentation syndicale à l'exception d'un groupe de bouchers aux États-Unis qui réussirent à se syndiquer mais leur département a alors été remplacé par la viande préemballée.

Le 1er mai 2007, Human Rights Watch a publié un rapport sur la répression des droits des salariés et du syndicalisme dans l'entreprise. Les directeurs sont formés pour et tenus de combattre toute implantation syndicale ou toute action revendicative y compris légale, ce qui, du fait des lois américaines offrant de très faibles protections aux salariés, conduit à ce que les salariés ont été incapables de mener des actions collectives pour faire valoir leurs droits, en matière de salaires, d'heures de travail ou de lutte contre la discrimination sexuelle[29].

Allemagne[modifier]

La politique anti-syndicale de la firme a, selon plusieurs analystes, causé sa perte en Allemagne, où les consommateurs ont boudé les allées de Walmart[30].

Un film, Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price[31], produit aux États-Unis, dénonce les pratiques commerciales et sociales de cette société[32] .

Canada[modifier] Article détaillé : Walmart Canada#Antisyndicalisme.

Chine[modifier]

En 2006, suite à un bras de fer avec le gouvernement de la Chine lors de l'ouverture d'un magasin, Walmart a pour la première fois été obligé d'accepter une représentation syndicale d'État au sein de ses 60 magasins[33].

États-Unis[modifier]

Chicago[modifier]

Quand Walmart se préparait à ouvrir son premier entrepôt dans la grande ville américaine de Chicago, la ville décidait de mettre en place un règlement municipal visant à assurer le traitement humain des employés de grands entrepôts, y compris l'octroi d'une assurance maladie et une paie raisonnable pour habiter dans la ville. Le règlement, étant basé sur la politique de Costco qui venait d'ouvrir son entrepôt inaugural dans la ville, a provoqué des protestations non seulement de Walmart, mais aussi de Sears, Target, Bloomingdale's et Home Depot. Quand les autres grands magasins menacèrent de quitter la ville de Chicago pour s'installer dans les banlieues, la ville dut abandonner ses projets d'amélioration des conditions de vie des travailleurs en faveur du commerce[34].

Gestion de l'image[modifier]

Le 28 avril 2006, Richard Demsyn, un étudiant de 18 ans de London (Ontario), publie un article[35] sur le site web WhiteDust.net accusant des lobbyistes de Wal-Mart de modifier l'article consacré à l'entreprise par la version en anglais de l'encyclopédie Wikipédia pour lui donner un ton volontairement positif[36]. Ne bénéficiant d'aucune preuve formelle au départ, le développement et l'utilisation du WikiScanner permit de confirmer plus tard que plusieurs modifications litigieuses faites à l'article anglophone Wal-Mart proviennent d'adresses IP associées à l'entreprise[37][réf. insuffisante]. Sam Walton

Sam Walton

Sam Walton, de son vrai nom Samuel Moore Walton (29 mars 1918 - 5 avril 1992), est le fondateur de la chaîne de centres commerciaux Wal-Mart.

Sa jeunesse[modifier]

Né dans une petite ville de l'Oklahoma, il grandit pendant la Grande dépression. Il apprend donc dès l'enfance à se débrouiller pour aider sa famille (il est vendeur de lait puis livreur de journaux). Il étudie ensuite au lycée (où il s'illustre principalement en sport) puis à l'université Columbia où il étudie l'économie (il fera partie de la confrérie Beta Theta Pi). Trois jours après avoir obtenu son diplôme, Walton est embauché dans un magasin JCPenney en tant que manager puis dans l'entreprise de munitions Dupont. En 1942 il rencontre Helen Robson, fille de banquier et elle-même diplômée en commerce, elle deviendra sa femme le 14 février 1943. Peu après, Sam est mobilisé dans l'armée américaine.

Les premiers magasins[modifier]

Sam Walton revient à la fin de la guerre (en 1945), il décide d'ouvrir son propre magasin. À l'aide d'un prêt de 25 000 dollars, il loue alors un magasin franchisé de la chaîne Butler Brothers à Newport dans l'Arkansas. C'est dans ce magasin que le couple mettra au point et testera certains des concepts qui feront leur succès. Les étagères doivent toujours être remplies pour donner une impression d'abondance avec un grand choix de marchandises à bon prix, et les Walton sont à l'avant-garde concernant la pratique du discount (grâce à des achats en grandes quantités bien négociés). D'autre part le magasin reste toujours ouvert très tard même lors des fêtes de Noël. Le magasin devint alors le plus performant de la chaîne Butler Brothers; le propriétaire du magasin attribuant le succès au bon emplacement du magasin et non aux méthodes révolutionnaires des Walton décida de ne pas leur renouveler la location pour l'attribuer à son propre fils. Le couple est donc poussé à partir, avec toutefois 50 000 dollars de profits en poche. En 1950, ils ouvrent donc un nouveau magasin Butler Brothers à Bentonville. Durant cette époque, Sam s'illustre beaucoup dans des activités civiques (il s'occupe de l'hôpital local, de l'équipe de baseball, il est élu président du Rotary Club et de la Chambre de commerce).

La construction de Wal-Mart[modifier]

C'est à ce moment qu'il décide d'ouvrir un second magasin, mais cette fois ci n'appartenant pas à la chaîne pour laquelle il travaillait. Il va voir chez ses concurrents pour trouver de bons vendeurs pour ce magasin. C'est un réel tournant car c'est désormais lui qui recherche et embauche des managers. Il motive ses managers en leur promettant de devenir des actionnaires (limités) de la chaîne, et ceux-ci font donc tout pour maximiser leurs profits. C'est ainsi, avec des équipes motivées et les techniques qu'il a déjà testées, qu'il ouvre plusieurs magasins. Il en fait aussi déjà profiter sa famille en associant à son entreprise son frère, son beau- frère et son beau-père. Dès 1962, Sam Walton et son frère Bud possèdent 16 magasins dans l'Arkansas, le Missouri, et le Kansas.

C'est cette année là qu'ils nomment leurs magasins Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart exploite aujourd'hui quelques 4750 magasins (principalement aux États-Unis mais de plus en plus internationalement), embauche plus de 1,4 million d¶employés et génère un chiffre d¶affaires annuel de $315.654 milliards $US.

Ce nom est toujours synonyme de bas prix mais aussi d'exploitation maximum des salariés. En effet, à partir du début de son expansion, l'entreprise pratiquera une politique d'interdiction des syndicats et de négation des prétentions salariales (voir Wal-Mart).

On peut attribuer son succès au soin qu'il apportait au respect de "la relation client". Comme il le disait lui même: «Il n'y a qu'un patron : le client. Et il peut licencier tout le personnel, depuis le directeur jusqu'à l'employé, tout simplement en allant dépenser son argent ailleurs.»

Patrimoine[modifier]

Les convictions de Sam Walton concernant le travail et la famille faisaient de lui un fervent défenseur (et un contributeur financier) du Parti républicain, notamment de George Bush. Il fut décoré de la Presidential Medal of Freedom en 1992. Le magazine Forbes le classa homme le plus riche d'Amérique de 1985 à 1988 (Bill Gates n'apparaissant dans le classement qu'en 1992, année de la mort de Sam Walton)[réf. nécessaire].

Ses enfants "Rob", Jim et Alice (ainsi que John décédé le 27 juin 2005) et sa veuve Helen Walton sont chacun à la tête d'un patrimoine de plus de 18 milliards de dollars (91 milliards de dollars en tout). Ils tiennent 5 des 10 premières places des personnes les plus riches des États- Unis et sont toujours bien placés sur la Liste des milliardaires du monde. Depuis la mort de John qui occupait une place de directeur, seul "Rob" travaille pour la multinationale familiale (en tant que Président du Conseil d'administration).

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company was the world's largest public corporation in 2010 by revenue.[3]

The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, incorporated on October 31, 1969, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. Wal-Mart, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, is the largest majority private employer[4] Walmart is also the largest grocery retailer in the United States. In 2009, it generated 51% of its US$258 billion sales in the U.S. from grocery business.[5] It also owns and operates the Sam's Club retail warehouses in North America.

Walmart has 8,500 stores in 15 countries, under 55 different names.[6] The company operates under its own name in the United States, including the 50 states. It also operates under its own name in Puerto Rico. It operates in Mexico as Walmex, 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's investments outside North America have had mixed results: its operations in the United Kingdom, South America and China are highly successful, while it was forced to pull out of Germany and South Korea when ventures there were unsuccessful. Contents [hide]

y 1 History o 1.1 Incorporation and growth o 1.2 Recent initiatives  1.2.1 Healthy foods initiative y 2 Operating divisions o 2.1 Walmart Stores U.S.  2.1.1 Walmart Discount Stores  2.1.2 Walmart Supercenter  2.1.3 Neighborhood Market by Walmart  2.1.4 Supermercado de Walmart  2.1.5 Marketside o 2.2 Sam's Club o 2.3 Walmart International  2.3.1 North America  2.3.1.1 Canada  2.3.1.2 Mexico  2.3.2 Central and South America  2.3.2.1 Brazil  2.3.2.2 Chile  2.3.3 Europe  2.3.3.1 Norway  2.3.3.2 Russia  2.3.3.3 United Kingdom  2.3.4 Asia  2.3.4.1 India  2.3.5 Africa o 2.4 Other Interests  2.4.1 Walmart Canada Bank  2.4.2 Vudu o 2.5 Private label brands o 2.6 Entertainment y 3 Corporate affairs o 3.1 Financial o 3.2 Governance o 3.3 Competition o 3.4 Customer base o 3.5 Economic impact o 3.6 Employee and labor relations o 3.7 Gender and sexual orientation y 4 See also o 4.1 Television and film o 4.2 Other y 5 References y 6 Further reading y 7 External links

History

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

Main article: History of Walmart

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. 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.[7]

Walton was extremely successful in running the store in Newport, far exceeding expectations.[8] However, when the lease came up for renewal, 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." There, he achieved higher sales volume by marking up slightly less than most competitors.[9]

On July 2, 1962, Walton opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City store located at 719 Walnut Ave. in Rogers, Arkansas. The building is now occupied by a hardware store and an antique mall. Within five years, the company expanded to 24 stores across Arkansas and reached $12.6 million in sales.[10] In 1968, it opened its first stores outside Arkansas, in Sikeston, Missouri and Claremore, Oklahoma.[11]

Incorporation and growth

Wal-Mart's former logo (1992-2008 in the US, 2001-2009 in Canada, and 1992-2009 in Mexico,) though it is still seen on many American locations, though a majority of Canadian locations have this logo instead of the 1994-2001 logo with a hyphen. It is still used in Mainland China.

The company was incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. on October 31, 1969. In 1970, it opened its home office and first distribution center in Bentonville, Arkansas. 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, 1970, and was soon listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The first stock split occurred in May 1971 at a market price of $47. 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.[11] Wal-Mart opened its first Texas store in Mount Pleasant on November 11, 1975.[12]

In the 1980s, Walmart 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.[11] 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.[13] In 1988, Sam Walton stepped down as CEO and was replaced by David Glass.[14] Walton remained as Chairman of the Board, and the company also rearranged other people in senior positions.

Inside a Walmart Supercenter in West Plains, Missouri

In 1988, the first Walmart Supercenter opened in Washington, Missouri.[15] Thanks to its superstores, it surpassed Toys "R" Us in toy sales in the late 1990s.[16] 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.[17]

In 1998, Walmart introduced the "Neighborhood Market" concept with three stores in Arkansas.[18] By 2005, estimates indicate that the company controlled about 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business.[19] In 2000, H. Lee Scott became President and CEO, and Walmart's sales increased to $165 billion.[20] In 2002, it was listed for the first time as America's largest corporation on the Fortune 500 list, with revenues of $219.8 billion and profits of $6.7 billion. It has remained there every year, except for 2006.[21][22]

In 2005, Walmart had $312.4 billion in sales, more than 6,200 facilities around the world² 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.[23]

As Walmart 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 Walmart 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.[24] However, in another study, he compared the changes to what small town shops had faced in the past ² including the development of the railroads, the advent of the Sears Roebuck catalog, as well as the arrival of shopping malls ² and concluded that shop owners who adapt to changes in the retail market can thrive after Wal-Mart arrives.[24] 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."[25]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, Walmart was able to use its logistical efficiency in organizing a rapid response to the disaster, donating $20 million in cash, 1,500 truckloads of free merchandise, food for 100,000 meals, as well as the promise of a job for every one of its displaced workers.[26] An independent study by Steven Horwitz of St. Lawrence University found that Walmart, The Home Depot and Lowe's made use of their local knowledge about supply chains, infrastructure, decision makers and other resources to provide emergency supplies and reopen stores well before FEMA began its response.[27] While the company was overall lauded for its quick response ± amidst the criticisms of the Federal Emergency Management Agency ± several critics were nonetheless quick to point out that there still remain issues with the company's labor relations.[28]

Recent initiatives

In October 2005, Walmart announced it would implement several environmental measures to increase energy efficiency. The primary goals included spending $500 million a year to increase fuel efficiency in Walmart'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.S. stores and Sam's Clubs by 25% in three years. CEO Lee Scott said that Walmart's goal was to be a "good steward for the environment" and ultimately use only renewable energy sources and produce zero waste.[29] The company also designed three new experimental stores in McKinney, Texas, Aurora, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada. with wind turbines, photovoltaic solar panels, biofuel-capable boilers, water-cooled refrigerators, and xeriscape gardens.[30] Despite much criticism of its environmental record, Walmart took a few steps in what is viewed as 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.[31] 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 not only save $2.4 million a year in shipping costs but also 3,800 trees and a million barrels of oil.[31] Walmart 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.[32]

In March 2006, Walmart 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.[33][34] 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. The exterior has a hunter green background behind the Walmart letters, similar to Neighborhood Market by Walmarts, instead of the blue previously used at its supercenters.

On September 12, 2007, Walmart 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. Global Insight, which conducted the research that supported the ads, found that Walmart'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 7.3% from the 2004 savings estimate of $2,329).[35]

On June 30, 2008, Walmart unveiled a new company logo, featuring the non-hyphenated name "Walmart" and in place of the star, a symbol that resembles a sunburst or flower. The new logo received mixed reviews from some design critics, who questioned whether the new logo was as bold as competitors, such as the Target bullseye or as instantly recognizable as the former company logo, which was used for 18 years.[36] The new logo made its debut on the company's walmart.com website on July 1, 2008. Walmart's U.S. locations were to update store logos in the fall of 2008, as part of an ongoing evolution of its overall brand.[37] Wal-Mart Canada started to adopt the logo for its stores in early 2009.

On March 20, 2009, Walmart announced that it is paying a combined $933.6 million in bonuses to every full and part time hourly worker of the company. An additional $788.8 million in profit sharing, 401(k) contributions, and hundreds of millions of dollars in merchandise discounts and contributions to the employees' stock purchase plan is also included in this plan. While the economy at large was in an ongoing recession, the largest retailer in the U.S. reported solid financial figures for the most recent fiscal year (ending January 31, 2009), with $401.2 billion in net sales, a gain of 7.2% from the prior year. Income from continuing operations increased 3% to $13.3 billion, and earnings per share rose 6% to $3.35.[38]

On July 16, 2009, Walmart announced plans to develop a worldwide sustainable product index.[39] On February 22, 2010, the company confirming it was acquiring video streaming company Vudu, Inc. for an estimated $100 million.[40]

Healthy foods initiative

In January 2011, at the urging of Michelle Obama and her staff, Wal-Mart announced a program to improve the nutritional values of its store brands over the next five years, gradually reducing the amount of salt and sugar, and eliminating trans fat. Wal-Mart 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.[41]

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

Walmart's operations are organized into three divisions: Walmart Stores U.S., Sam's Club, and Walmart International.[42] 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.[42]

A panoramic photo of a remodeled Walmart Supercenter in Laurel, Maryland.

Walmart Stores U.S.

Map of current[when?] Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. Walmart Stores U.S. is the company's largest division, accounting for $258 billion, or 63.8% of total sales for financial year 2010.[42] It consists of three retail formats that have become commonplace in the United States: Discount Stores, Supercenters, and Neighborhood 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, walmart.com.

In September 2006, Walmart announced a pilot program to sell generic drugs at just $4 per prescription. The pilot program was launched at stores in the Tampa, Florida area, and expanded to all stores in Florida by January 2007. While the average price of generics is $29 per prescription, compared to $102 for name-brand drugs, Walmart maintains that it is not selling at a loss, or providing as an act of charity ± instead, they are using the same mechanisms of mass distribution that it uses to bring lower prices to other products.[43] While it's little known outside of the drug industry, many of Walmart's low cost generics are imported from India and made by drug makers in that country including Ranbaxy and CIPLA.[44]

On February 6, 2007, the company launched a "beta" version of a movie download service, which sold about 3,000 films and television episodes from all major studios and television networks.[45] The service was discontinued on December 21, 2007, due to low sales.[46]

Walmart Discount Stores

A typical Walmart discount department store in Laredo, Texas

Walmart discount stores are discount department stores with size varying from 51,000 square feet (4,738.1 m2) to 224,000 square feet (20,810.3 m2), with an average store covering about 102,000 square feet (9,476.1 m2).[42] They carry general merchandise and a selection of groceries. 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. Some also have gasoline stations.[47]

The first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962.

Inside the discount store the fast food outlets, usually Subway or McDonald's. In 1990, Walmart opened its first Bud's Discount City location in Bentonville. Bud's operated as a closeout store, much like Big Lots. Many locations were opened to fulfill leases in shopping centers as Walmart stores left and moved into newly built Supercenters. All of the Bud's Discount City stores closed or converted into Walmart Discount Stores by 1997.[10][48]

As of October 2010, there were 750 Walmart discount stores in the United States. In 2006, the busiest in the world was one in Rapid City, South Dakota.[49]

Walmart Supercenter

A picture of a remodeled Wal-Mart Supercenter in Miami, Florida.

Walmart Supercenters are hypermarkets with size varying from 98,000 to 261,000 square feet (9,104.5 to 24,247.7 m2), with an average of about 197,000 square feet (18,301.9 m2).[42] These stock everything a Walmart 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. 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 (newer locations have Woodforest National Bank branches), and fast food outlets ² usually Subway, but sometimes Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's or Blimpie. Some also sell gasoline distributed by Murphy Oil Corporation (whose Walmart stations are branded as "Murphy USA"), Sunoco, Inc. ("Optima"), or Tesoro Corporation ("Mirastar").[47]

The first Supercenter opened in 1988, in Washington, Missouri. A similar concept, Hypermart USA, opened in Garland, Texas a year earlier. All of the Hypermart USA stores were later closed or converted into Supercenters.

As of October 2010, there were 2,843 Wal-Mart Supercenters in the United States.[49] The largest Supercenter in the United States, covering 260,000 square feet (24,154.8 m2) and two floors, is located in Crossgates Commons in Albany, New York.[50]

Since the introduction of the new Walmart logo in 2008, the company has been phasing out the "Supercenter" portion of the name on these stores, simply referring to these stores as "Walmart." Neighborhood Market by Walmart

Neighborhood Markets by Walmart are grocery stores that average about 42,000 square feet (3,901.9 m2).[42] They are used to fill the gap between discount store and supercenters, offering 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.

The first Neighborhood Market opened in 1998, in Bentonville, Arkansas. As of October 2010, there were 181 of them in the United States.[49]

Neighborhood Market by Walmart now has the same logo as Walmart does. However, this change took place a few months after the new logo was introduced on June 30, 2008.

Supermercado de Walmart

Supermercado de Walmart in Spring Branch, Houston

Walmart opened "Supermercado de Walmart" locations to appeal to Hispanic communities in the United States.[51] The first one, a 39,000 square feet (3,600 m2) store in the Spring Branch area of Houston, opened on Wednesday April 29, 2009.[52] The store was a conversion of an existing Walmart.[53][54] Walmart also planned to open "Mas Club," a warehouse retail operation patterned after Sam's Club.[55]

Marketside Main article: Marketside

Marketside is a new chain of grocery stores opened in October 2008, the stores are said to be less than half the size of a conventional supermarket, as stated in the backgrounder found on Walmart's official homepage. As of October 2010, there were four Marketside stores, all within the state of Arizona.[49] Each of these stores is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sam's Club

Main article: Sam's Club

A typical Sam's Club store in Maplewood, Missouri

Sam's Club is a chain of warehouse clubs which sell groceries and general merchandise, often in large quantities. 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.[56] Some locations also sell gasoline.[47] The first Sam's Club opened in 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma[56] under the name "Sam's Wholesale Club".

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 old slogan was "We're in Business for Small Business." Their current[when?] slogan is "Savings Made Simple" as Sam's Club attempts to attact a more diverse member base. In March 2009, the company announced that it plans to enter the electronic medical records business by offering a software package to physicians in small practices for $25,000. Wal-Mart is partnering with Dell and eClinicalWorks.com in this new venture.[57]

Sam's Club's sales during 2010 were $47 billion, or 11.5% of Walmart's total sales.[42] As of October 2010, there were 607 Sam's Clubs in the United States. Walmart also operates more than 100 international Sam's Clubs in Brazil, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.[58]

Walmart International

Walmart's international operations currently[when?] comprise 4,263 stores and 660,000 workers in 15 countries outside the United States.[59] There are wholly owned operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada,and the UK. With 2.1 million employees worldwide, the company is the largest private employer in the US and Mexico, and one of the largest in Canada.[60] In the financial year 2010, Walmart's international division sales were $100 billion, or 24.7% of total sales.[42] North America

Canada

Walmart has operated in Canada since its acquisition of 122 stores comprising the Woolco division of Woolworth Canada, Inc in 1994. As of July 2010, it operates over 300 locations (including 100 Supercentres) and employs 82,000 Canadians, with a local home office in Mississauga, Ontario.[61] Walmart Canada's first three Supercentres (spelled as in Canadian English) opened on November 8, 2006, in Hamilton, London, and Aurora, Ontario. The 100th Canadian Supercentre opened on July 10, 2010, in Victoria, BC.

Mexico

Walmart's majority-owned subsidiary in Mexico is Walmex.[62]

Central and South America

Walmart 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.[63]

Brazil

Bompreço in Natal, Brazil.

In 2004, Walmart 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. None of these was rebranded. As of April 2010, Wal-Mart operates 64 Super-Bompreço stores, 33 Hyper-Bompreço stores. It also runs 45 Wal-Mart Supercenters, 24 Sam's Club stores, and 101 Todo Dia stores. With the acquisition of Bompreço and Sonae, Walmart was in 2010 the third largest supermarket chain in Brazil, behind Carrefour and Pão de Açúcar.[64]

Chile

In January 2009, the company acquired a controlling interest in the largest grocer in Chile, Distribucion y Servicio D&S SA.[65] Europe

Norway

In June 2006, Walmart was excluded from the investment portfolio of The Government Pension Fund of Norway, which held stock values of about US$ 430 million in the company, due to a social audit into alleged labor rights violations in the company's operations in the US and worldwide.[66][67] Although Walmart did not respond to questions from the fund's auditors, the company later claimed the decision "don't appear to be based on complete information".[68]

Russia

In 2008, Walmart named German retailing veteran Stephan Fanderl as the president of Walmart Emerging Markets-East in an effort to, "explore retail business opportunities in Russia and neighboring markets." The market is estimated to be worth more than US$140 billion per year in food sales alone.[69]

United Kingdom

Walmart's UK subsidiary, Asda

Sales in 2006 for Walmart's UK subsidiary, Asda (which retains the name it had before acquisition by Walmart), accounted for 42.7% of sales of Walmart's international division. In contrast to the 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. As of 2010, Asda had 345 stores, some of which were former Woolco stores operated by the UK division of FW Woolworth. The stores are branded Asda Walmart Supercentres, as well as Asda Supermarkets, Asda Living, George High Street and Asda Essentials stores.[70]

Asia

In addition to its wholly owned international operations, Walmart has joint ventures and several majority-owned subsidiaries in China. In Japan, Walmart owns about 53% of Seiyu. [62] India

In November 2006, the company announced a joint venture with Bharti Enterprises to open retail stores in India. As foreign corporations are not allowed to directly enter the retail sector in India, Walmart will operate through franchises and handle the wholesale end.[71] The partnership will involve two joint ventures; Bharti will manage the front end involving opening of retail outlets, while Walmart will take care of the back end, such as cold chains and logistics.

Africa

On September 28, 2010, Walmart announced it would buy Massmart Holdings Ltd. of Johannesburg, South Africa in a deal worth over $4 billion, giving the company its first stores in Africa.[6]

Other Interests

Walmart Canada Bank

Walmart Canada launched its application for banking license in 2008 to compete with similar stores in Canada such as Loblaw.[72] On July 24, 2009, Walmart Canada Bank was incorporated under the Bank Act in Canada.[73]

On June 15, 2010, the company officially launched into the banking sector under the name Walmart Canada Bank (French: La Banque Wal-Mart du Canada).[74] As a Schedule II federal financial institution, it is regulated by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.[75] Currently,[when?] WMCB only offers a Mastercard product but could offer more banking services in the future.[76]

Vudu

In February 2010, the company agreed to buy Vudu, a Silicon Valley start-up whose three-year- old online movie service is being built into an increasing number of televisions and Blu-ray players. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but a person briefed on the deal said the price for the company, which raised $60 million in capital, was over $100 million.[77]

Private label brands

Main article: List of Wal-Mart brands

About 40% of products sold in Walmart are private label store brands, or products offered by Walmart and produced through contracts with manufacturers. Walmart began offering private label brands in 1991 with the launch of Sam's Choice, a brand of drinks produced by Cott Beverages exclusively for Walmart. Sam's Choice quickly became popular, and by 1993 was the third most popular beverage brand in the United States.[78] Other Walmart brands include Great Value and Equate in the US and Canada, and Smart Price in Britain. 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."[79]

Entertainment

In 2010, the company teamed with Procter & Gamble to produce Secrets of the Mountain and The Jensen Project, two-hour family movies which featured the characters using Walmart and Procter & Gamble branded products. The Jensen Project also featured a preview of a product to be released in several months in Walmart stores.[80][81] A third movie, A Walk in My Shoes, will air later in 2010 and a fourth is in production.[82] Walmart's director of brand marketing also serves as co-chair of the Association of National Advertisers's Alliance for Family Entertainment.[83]

Corporate affairs

Walmart Home Office in Bentonville, Arkansas

Walmart is headquartered in the Wal-Mart Home Office complex in Bentonville, Arkansas.[84]

Wal-Mart's business model is based on selling a wide variety of general merchandise at "always low prices."[42] 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.[85]

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.[citation needed] The replacement was to help Wal-Mart increase sales.[citation needed]

Unlike many other retailers, Wal-Mart does not charge a slotting fee to suppliers for their products to appear in the store.[86] Instead, it focuses on selling more popular products and provides incentives for store managers to drop unpopular products, as well as asking manufacturers to supply more popular products.[86]

On September 14, 2006, the company announced that it would phase out its layaway program, citing declining use and increased costs.[87] Layaway ceased to be offered on November 19, 2006, and required merchandise pickup by December 8, 2006. 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.[88]

Financial

For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2009, Wal-Mart reported a net income of $13.6 billion[89] on $404 billion of revenue[90] (3.4% profit margin). For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2006, Wal-Mart's international operations accounted for about 20.1% of total sales.[42]

Governance

Wal-Mart is governed by a fifteen-member Board of Directors, which is elected annually by shareholders. Robson Walton, the eldest son of founder Sam Walton, serves as Chairman of the Board. Michael T. Duke serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Lee Scott, formerly CEO, serves as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board. Other members of the board include Aída Álvarez, Jim Breyer, M. Michele Burns, James Cash, Roger Corbett, Douglas Daft, David Glass, Gregory B. Penner, Allen Questrom, Arne M. Sorenson, Jim Walton, Christopher J. Williams, and Linda S. Wolf.[91] Sam Walton died in 1992. After Walton's death, Don Soderquist, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice Chairman, became known as the "Keeper of the Culture."[92][93]

Notable former members of the board include Hillary Clinton (1985±1992)[94] and Tom Coughlin (2003±2004), the latter having served as Vice Chairman. 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.[95] On August 11, 2006, he was sentenced to 27 months of home confinement, five years of probation, and ordered to pay US$411,000 in restitution.[96]

Competition

In North America, Wal-Mart's primary competition includes department stores like Kmart, Target, ShopKo and Meijer, Canada's Zellers, Hart the Real Canadian Superstore and Giant Tiger, and Mexico's Comercial Mexicana and Soriana. 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. 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. 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.[97] In 2004, Wal- Mart responded by testing its own dollar store concept, a subsection of some stores called "Pennies-n-Cents."[98]

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.[99] In July 2006, Wal-Mart announced its withdrawal from Germany. Its stores were sold to German company Metro.[100] Wal-Mart continues to do well in the UK, and its Asda subsidiary is the second largest chain after Tesco.[101]

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 re- branded the Wal-Marts as E-mart stores.[102]

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.[103]

Customer base

Street sign for Wal ʦ Mart Drive near Gordon, Pennsylvania

A price of 15 cents on folders and notebooks

Each week, about 100 million customers, nearly one-third of the U.S. population, visit Walmart's U.S. stores.[104] Walmart 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.[105] 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.[106] A Wal-Mart financial report in 2006 also indicated that Wal-Mart customers are sensitive to higher utility costs and gas prices.[107] A poll indicated that after 2004 US Presidential Election 76% of voters who shopped at Wal-Mart once a week voted for George W. Bush, while only 23% supported senator John Kerry.[108] When measured against other similar retailers in the U.S., frequent Wal-Mart shoppers were rated the most politically conservative.[109]

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."[110] 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).[105] 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.[111]

Economic impact

See also: Criticism of Wal-Mart

Kenneth Stone, Professor of Economics at Iowa State University, in a paper published in Farm Foundation in 1997, found that some small towns can lose almost half of their retail trade within ten years of a Wal-Mart store opening.[24] However, he compared the changes to previous competitors small town shops have faced in the past²from the development of the railroads and the Sears Roebuck catalog to shopping malls. He concludes that shop owners who adapt to the ever changing retail market can thrive after Wal-Mart comes to their community.[24] A subsequent study in collaboration with Mississippi State University indicated that there are "both positive and negative impacts on existing stores in the area where the new supercenter locates."[25]

A June 2006 article published by the libertarian Ludwig von Mises Institute suggested that Wal- Mart has a positive impact on small business.[112] It argued that while Wal-Mart's low prices caused some existing businesses to close, the chain also created new opportunities for other small business, and so "the process of creative destruction unleashed by Wal-Mart has no statistically significant impact on the overall size of the small business sector in the United States."[113]

A Loyola University Chicago study which suggested that impact a Wal-Mart store has on a local business is correlated to its distance from that store. The leader of that study admits that this factor is stronger in smaller towns and doesn't apply to more urban areas saying "It'd be so tough to nail down what's up with Wal-Mart".[114] Another study found Wal-Mart's entry into a new market has a profound impact on its retail competition. When a Wal-Mart opens in a new market, median sales drop 40% at similar high-volume stores, 17% at supermarkets and 6% at drugstores, according to a June 2009 study by researchers at several universities and led by the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.[115] For the concern of jobs, a study commissioned by Wal-Mart with consulting firm Global Insight, found that its stores' presence saves working families more than US$2,500 per year, while creating more than 210,000 jobs in the U.S.[116][117] Alternately the Economic Policy Institute estimates that 196,000 jobs were lost between 2001±2006,[118] and 68% of jobs lost were manufacturing jobs. Another study by Global Insight has found that Wal-Mart's growth between 1985 and 2004 resulted in food-at-home prices that were 9.1% lower and overall prices (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) that were 3.1% lower than they would otherwise have been.[119]

Another study at the University of Missouri found that a new store increases net retail employment in the county by 100 jobs in the short term, half of which disappear over five years as other retail establishments close.[120]

Studies of Wal-Mart show consumers benefit from lower costs. A 2005 Washington Post story reported that "Wal-Mart's discounting on food alone boosts the welfare of American shoppers by at least $50 billion per year."[121] A study in 2005 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology measured the effect on consumer welfare and found that the poorest segment of the population benefits the most from the existence of discount retailers.[122] A 2004 paper by two professors at Pennsylvania State University found that U.S. counties with Wal-Mart stores suffered increased poverty compared with counties without Wal-Marts.[123] They hypothesized, to explain their results: This could be due to the displacement of workers from higher-paid jobs in the retailers customers no longer choose to patronize, Wal-Mart providing less local charity than the replaced businesses, or a shrinking pool of local leadership and reduced social capital due to a reduced number of local independent businesses.[123] Dr Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System, said in a lecture at the University of Melbourne on 18 September 2007, that a study in Nebraska looked at two different Wal-Marts, the first of which had just arrived and "was in the process of driving everyone else out of business but, to do that, they cut their prices to the bone, very, very low prices". In the other Wal-Mart, "they had successfully destroyed the local economy, there was a sort of economic crater with Wal-Mart in the middle; and, in that community, the prices were 17 per cent higher".[124]

Employee and labor relations

See also: Criticism of Wal-Mart

A protest in Utah against Wal-Mart

Labor unions, Christian organizations,[125][126] and environmental groups[127] have criticized Wal- Mart for its policies and/or business practices. 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.[128][129][130]

In 2005, two national campaigns to criticize Wal-Mart were launched: the (United Food and Commercial Workers) launched Wake Up Wal-Mart and The Center for Community and Corporate Ethics launched Wal-Mart Watch.[131][132] 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. Additional efforts to counter criticism included a PR campaign in 2005, managed through its PR website walmartfacts.com,[133] as well as several television commercials. The company retained the PR firm Edelman to respond to negative media attention,[134] and started interacting directly with bloggers by sending them news, suggesting topics for postings, and sometimes inviting them to visit its corporate headquarters.[135] Similarly, in 2010, several of Wal-Mart's opponents have hired The Saint Consulting Group to support grass-roots campaigns against Wal-Mart. The most notable of these include grocery chains such as Safeway Inc., SuperValu, and Ahold, concerned that the presence of Wal-Mart will add more competition to their operations.[136]

In the past, Wal-mart has been accused of locking night-shift workers in at night,[137] paying employees below minimum wage, and exposing employees to health hazards.[67] Wal-Mart's own "Standards for Suppliers" reports document extensive problems of this kind among the company's "directly-sourced" factories.[138] Full-time Wal-Mart employees earn an average of $10.78 per hour, but critics point out that the starting pay can be far lower ² placing some employees with children below the poverty line ² and that payrates do not rise as quickly as with unionized companies.[139] Others decry low levels of health coverage or overpriced health insurance, though the company reports that it offers rates as low as $5 per month in some areas ($9 per month nationwide) and that 92% of its associates are insured (though not necessarily through Wal-Mart).[140] Other grievances regard poor working conditions, unfavorable employer- employee relationships, and anti-union policies. Many suggest that Wal-Mart's high annual turnover-rate of ~70% shows that workers are dissatisfied and maltreated.[139]

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".[141] Penn & Teller devoted an episode of Bullshit! to an analysis of Wal-Mart criticism as a social movement. 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".[142] Wal-Mart stores are unionized in every country outside of North America.[143] Wal-Mart has opposed the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would make it easier for workers to unionize by removing the employer's ability to demand a secret ballot in union elections, and which would require mandatory arbitration of labor disputes. In mid-2008, the company required store managers and department heads to attend meetings at which opposition to the EFCA was used as a fulcrum for criticism of Democratic candidates in the elections for the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as of the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama. At these meetings, Wal-Mart human resources managers warned that Democratic victories might result in passage of the EFCA and hence more unionization. At one meeting, a Wal-Mart customer service supervisor from Missouri stated, "I am not telling you how to vote, but if the Democrats win, this bill will pass and you won't have a vote on whether you want a union.[144] A Wal-Mart spokesman, while acknowledging that the meetings were taking place nationwide, said, "If anyone representing Wal-Mart gave the impression we were telling associates how to vote, they were wrong and acting without approval."[144] Several labor-rights groups including the AFL-CIO have asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate whether Wal-Mart broke federal election rules by advocating against Democratic candidate Barack Obama in meetings with employees.[145]

According to a Newsweek article, Wal-Mart, after years of fierce fighting, accepted organized labor in China. Labor unions in China do not negotiate contracts, but rather they are an arm of the state "to secure the social order" and provide funding to the Communist Party.[146]

Gender and sexual orientation

Wal-Mart is currently[when?] 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. If the class action is certified, it would be the largest such lawsuit in history, covering 1.5 million women according to the plaintiffs.[147] A December 2007 United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2±1 ruling[148] affirming the class certification was vacated by the court for en banc review;[149][150] in a 6±5 decision, the appeals court affirmed in part and remanded in part the district court's order regarding class certification.[151] In December 2010, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari with regard to whether the case may proceed as a class action.[152][153] The courts have not yet reached the merits of the underlying dispute.[151]

According to a consultant hired by plaintiffs in a sex discrimination lawsuit, 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.[154][155] Just 35% of its store managers were women, whereas 57% were at comparable retailers.[155] Wal-Mart says comparisons with other retailers are unfair, because it classifies employees differently; if department managers were included in the totals, women would make up 60% of the managerial ranks.[155] Others have criticized the lawsuit as without basis in the law and as an abuse of the class action mechanism.[156][157][158] In 2007, Wal-Mart was named by the National Association for Female Executives as one of the top 35 companies for Executive Women.[159]

Wal-Mart's rating on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, a measure of how companies treat LGBT employees and customers, has fluctuated widely during the past decade, from a low of 14% (2002) to 65% (2006). They were praised for expanding their antidiscrimination policy protecting gay and lesbian employees,[160] as well as for a new definition of "family" that included same-sex partners.[161][162] However, they have been criticized in other areas, such as not renewing its membership in the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, which is reflected in their 2008 rating of 40% (compared to Target at 80% and Kmart at 100%).[163]

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 Business Resource Groups: women, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, Gays and Lesbians, and a disabled group."[16