Wal-Mart

Walmart Inc. is a global retailer and e‑commerce operator that sells groceries, everyday essentials, and general merchandise through a mix of large supercenters, traditional discount stores, smaller neighborhood markets, membership-based Sam’s Club warehouses, and a fast-growing online marketplace. As of October 2024, Walmart and its affiliated banners operate more than 10,700 retail units worldwide, including roughly 4,600 Walmart stores in the United States and about 600 Sam’s Club locations, supported by a substantial network of distribution and fulfillment facilities.

The company’s roots go back to 1962, when founder Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas after building a following with his earlier Walton’s 5&10 variety store in nearby Bentonville. Through the 1970s and 1980s the business moved from a regional chain to a national presence, went public in 1970, launched Sam’s Club in 1983, and then introduced the Walmart Supercenter format that combined full-line grocery with general merchandise in a single box. By the end of the 1990s Walmart had become one of the most significant private-sector employers in the world and, in 2001, ranked as the largest company globally by sales.

Today Walmart generates more than $680 billion in annual revenue and remains the world’s largest retailer by sales, operating through three primary segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. In the U.S. business, grocery accounts for nearly 60 percent of revenue, with the balance coming from general merchandise and related categories. Over roughly the last five years, the company has shifted from a purely store-count growth story to one centered on integrating physical stores with digital commerce, expanding its marketplace, and building out last‑mile delivery capabilities such as curbside pickup and same-day or next-day delivery from stores and dedicated facilities.

Geographically, Walmart’s footprint extends across the United States, Mexico and Central America, and Canada, alongside significant investments in India and select other markets through majority stakes and partnerships, including its Flipkart platform. During the last several years the company has been pruning operations in less strategic international markets while reinvesting in regions where it sees long-term growth potential, such as Latin America and India. This has been paired with continued attention to high-growth suburban corridors and selective infill opportunities in U.S. trade areas where Walmart can deepen its presence or reposition legacy stores.

For property owners and developers, Walmart controls and occupies a vast real estate portfolio that includes thousands of big-box supercenters, neighborhood-format grocery stores, and club warehouses, along with an extensive backbone of distribution centers and e‑commerce fulfillment nodes. Many of these locations function as primary traffic anchors in suburban and secondary markets, while remodeled and repositioned stores often help reset surrounding shopping centers. The company owns and leases billions of square feet and actively manages that footprint through remodels, relocations, store conversions, dark-box backfilling, and selective ground-up development.

As of October 2024, Walmart’s growth strategy is targeted rather than focused solely on adding new boxes. Management is prioritizing upgrades to existing units, expansion of higher-performing formats like Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Club, and investment in technology, data, and supply chain infrastructure that allows stores and distribution sites to serve both in-person shoppers and online customers. New projects often favor infill parcels, evolving suburban trade areas, and logistics-oriented sites that can support same-day or next-day fulfillment. At the same time, Walmart continues to grow international platforms such as Walmart de México y Centroamérica and Flipkart, and to densify its e‑commerce and logistics network, reinforcing its role as a dominant daily-needs and general merchandise anchor across many markets.