Opinion on  WalMart Stores Inc (WMT)     Sector: Services  >  Industry: Retail (Department & Discount)
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates retail stores in various formats worldwide. The company’s Wal-Mart Stores segment offers general merchandise, including apparel, domestics, fabrics and notions, stationery and books, shoes, housewares, hardware, electronics, home furnishings, small appliances, automotive accessories, horticulture and accessories, sporting goods, toys, pet food and pet accessories, cellular phones and cellular service plan contracts, cameras and supplies, health and beauty aids, pharmaceuticals, jewelry, and opticals; and grocery merchandise, financial services and products, and photo processing services through supercenters, discount stores, and neighborhood markets in the United States, as well as through walmart.com. Its Sam’s Club segment provides hardgoods, softgoods, institutional-size grocery items, and selected private-label items under the MEMBER’S MARK, BAKERS & CHEFS, and SAM’S CLUB brands; software, electronics, jewelry, exercise equipment, outdoor goods, tires, office supplies, and books; and photo processing, pharmaceuticals, optical departments, and gasoline stations through warehouse membership clubs in the United States, as well as through samsclub.com. The company’s International segment includes various formats of retail stores and restaurants, including combination discount and grocery stores, supercenters, Sam’s Clubs, hypermarkets, supermarkets, cash-n-carry stores, neighborhood markets, department stores, and general merchandise stores. As of January 31, 2008, Wal-Mart operated 971 discount stores, 2,447 supercenters, 132 neighborhood markets, and 591 Sam’s Clubs in the United States; and 21 units in Argentina, 313 in Brazil, 305 in Canada, 149 in Costa Rica, 70 in El Salvador, 145 in Guatemala, 47 in Honduras, 394 in Japan, 1,023 in Mexico, 46 in Nicaragua, 54 in Puerto Rico, and 352 in the United Kingdom, as well as 202 stores through joint ventures in China. The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Bentonville, Arkansas.