1. ENTERPRISE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

1.1 ESTABLISHMENT OF WALMART:

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, Walmart is an AMERICAN

MULTINATIONAL RETAIL CORPORATION and it is headquartered in Bentonville,

Arkansas. Wal-Mart, the world’s most profitable retail outlet. 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 owned 11,000 stores in 27 countries, under total 71 different banners worldwide. 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 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 $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 OF WALMART

Walton decided, in 1945, to open his own department store. Acquiring $20,000 in capital from

his father-in-law, he purchased a Butler Brothers franchise store (Ben Franklin) in Newport

(Jackson County). Though it would be another seventeen years before he established the first

Wal-Mart outlet, the company’s eventual business practices were formulated during the 1940s

and 1950s. Walton proved to be innovative in improving “throughput”—the tight control of

inventory flow that is necessary to maximize profits. Walton maintained constantly stocked

shelves and kept tabs on which items sold and which did not. He also began the practice of

buying goods wholesale and selling them to consumers at discounted prices. This was the

Wal-Mart method: offering low prices that spurred increased sales volume. It led to the

company’s greater purchasing power, allowing Walton to wrangle ever more beneficial prices

from manufacturers.

The success of his Newport outlet—which Walton later sold for a profit—led to the

establishment of more stores. In 1950, “Walton’s 5 & 10” debuted in Bentonville (Benton

County), a town that would eventually become the site of Wal-Mart’s corporate headquarters.

Its proximity to Midwestern markets, such as Kansas City, proved especially beneficial.

Walton continued to develop practices that today form the bedrock of Wal-Mart’s success. He

scoured the region in an effort to lure away top managers from other retailers. He also

introduced centrally located cash registers, allowing customers to purchase all their i tems at

once. This replaced the comparatively inefficient method of having cash registers located

throughout a store. Also during this period, Walton began to offer employee profit -sharing,

engendering greater employee loyalty and production. Limited partners within company

management were allowed to invest up to $1,000 in new stores.

The first Wal-Mart opened its doors in 1962 in Rogers (Benton County). Throughout the

1960s, the company opened new stores, concentrating initially on rural towns in which a new

Wal-Mart would often become a community’s central retail outlet. In 1970, the company, now

incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., opened its first distribution center and its home office,

both located in Bentonville. In that year, Wal-Mart also made an initial public offering of its

stock, which for the next two years was unlisted on a major exchange, and thus traded “over

the counter.” In 1972, the company was first listed on the New York Stock Exchange, where it

began a rapid ascent in share value. By March of that year, Wal-Mart stock had undergone its

first 100 percent split and was trading at forty-seven dollars per share. It split again later that

year, and yet again in August 1975.

As Wal-Mart continued its rapid growth, it also made its first acquisition of other retail

chains. In 1977, it purchased sixteen Mohr-Value stores in Michigan and Illinois and acquired

Hutcheson Shoe Company the following year. By the end of the 1970s, Wal-Mart had

expanded into a number of different services in its stores—selling pharmaceuticals, adding

auto service centers, and introducing jewelry divisions. Such diversification quickly proved

fruitful, as the company announced in 1979 that, for the first time, annual sales had reached

more than $1 billion. As its stock continued to rise—splitting in 1980 and again in 1982—

Wal-Mart built dozens of new outlets across the United States.

In 1983, Wal-Mart introduced several innovative changes and also opened its first Sam’s

Clubs, wholesale stores that offered members the opportunity to purchase goods in bulk. As

its stock soared to more than eighty dollars per share in late 1983, Wal-Mart acquired Woolco

Stores, initiated its “People Greeter” program, and established one-hour photo labs within its

outlets. By 1984, Wal-Mart had become a leader in the retail industry, and to celebrate the

company meeting its fourth-quarter goals for the previous year, Walton fulfilled a promise

made to shareholders by hula-dancing on Wall Street. He named David Glass as company

president that same year. Under Glass’s leadership, Wal-Mart entered its most expansive and

profitable period. Glass, who would be named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1988, began

a new phase in the company’s history, launching a massive expansion program resulting in

hundreds of new stores over the next decade.

In 1988, the first Wal-Mart Supercenter opened, offering twenty-four-hour shopping,

groceries, and, eventually, banking, gas stations, and McDonald’s fast food. By 1990, Wal-

Mart sales had surpassed rivals such as Kmart and Target. In 1991, the company made its first

foray into the international market, opening Club Aurrera in Mexico City. This would become

the next phase of Wal-Mart’s strategy for success expansion into foreign markets such as

Europe, Asia, and South America. Walton died of cancer on April 5, 1992, in Little Rock

(Pulaski County) and is buried in the Bentonville Cemetery directly behind Wal-Mart

headquarters, within sight of the satellite dishes that helped make him the richest man in

America. In 1996, the company gained access to lucrative emerging markets in China and

South Korea. The following year, it replaced Woolworth on the Dow Jones Industrial

Average, signaling its emergence as a significant force in the overall U.S. economy. Glass

stepped down from his position as CEO in 2000, and it was succeeded by H. Lee Scott Jr.

In 2002 for the first time, Walmart topped the Fortune 500 ranking of America's largest

companies. Walmart entered the Japanese market through its investment in Seiyu. In

2005 Walmart took a leading role in disaster relief, contributing $18 million and 2,450

truckloads of supplies to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Walmart made a major

commitment to environmental sustainability, announcing goals to create zero waste use only

renewable energy and sell products that sustain people and the environment. In Walmart

introduced its $4 generic-drug prescription program.

Walmart.com launched Site to Store service, enabling customers to make a purchase online and

pick up merchandise in stores in the year 2007. H.Lee Scott Jr. stepped down from his position

as CEO in 2009 and it was succeeded by Mike Duke. In 2010 Bharti Walmart, a joint venture,

opened its first store in India. With the acquisition of Massmart in South Africa, Walmart

surpassed 10,000 retail units around the world in 2011 and in the same year first Walmart

Express stores were introduced in Arkansas. Walmart established @Walmart labs, a hub for

developing social, mobile and global platforms. In 2012 Walmart celebrated 50 years of helping

people save money so they can live better. In 2014 Doug McMillon succeeded Mike Duke as

CEO. The company employs 2.2 million associates worldwide and serves more than 200 million

customers each week at more than 11,000 stores in 27 countries.

1.2 VISION, MISSION, PHILOSOPHY and VALUES:

Vision: “If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone…we’ll give the world

an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better life.”

Mission: Saving people money so they can live better.

Philosophy: “The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want. And

really if you think about it from the point of view of the customer, you want everything: a wide

assortment of good quality merchandise; the lowest possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction;

pleasant shopping experience”

Beliefs & values:

Respect for the individual, whether employee, customer, supplier or member of the

community at large, regardless of ethnicity, gender or sexual preference.

Service to our customers, surpassing the expectations of our consumers.

Striving for excellence, always innovating in the selection and promotion of products and

services

1.3 Governing Body

WALMART CHAIRMAN:

Robson Walton is the Son of Walmart founder, Sam Walton. Rob Walton is Walmart’s

chairman of the board of directors, a position he has held since 1992. Rob joined the company

in 1969. Prior to becoming chairman, he held a variety of positions with Walmart, including

senior vice president, corporate secretary, general counsel and vice chairman. Before joining

Walmart, Rob was a partner with the law firm of Conner & Winters in Tulsa, Okla. He is

currently involved with a number of nonprofit and educational organizations, including

Conservation International, where he serves as chairman of the executive committee, and the

College of Wooster, where he is an Emeritus Life Trustee.

S. Robson Walton is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

WALMART PRESIDENT AND CEO:

Doug McMillon is the president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. As CEO,

Doug leads a strong management team that is working to deliver Walmart’s mission of “saving

people money so they can live better.” Under his leadership, Walmart is bringing together its

stores, logistics network and digital commerce capabilities in new ways to empower customers to

shop whenever, wherever and however they want. From February 2009 to February 2014, Doug

served as president and chief executive officer of Walmart International.

From 2006 to 2009, he served as president and chief executive officer of Sam’s Club, an

operating segment of Walmart, with sales of more than $46 billion annually during his tenure.

Doug McMillon is the president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Doug is a longtime champion of Walmart’s customers, its associates and the company’s culture.

In 1984, he started out as an hourly summer associate in a Walmart distribution center. In 1990,

while pursuing his MBA, he rejoined the company as an assistant manager in a Tulsa, Okla.,

Walmart store before moving to merchandising as a buyer trainee. He went on to serve in

successful senior leadership roles in all of Walmart’s business segments. He remains a merchant

at heart and understands where customers around the world are heading next. He has been

recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

1. Linda S. Wolf

Ms. Wolf is the retired

Chairman of the Board of

Directors

and Chief Executive Officer of

Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc.,

an advertising agency and

division of Public Group S.A.

5. Roger C. Corbett

Mr. Corbett is the

retired Chief Executive

Officer and

Group Managing

Director of Woolworths

Limited, the

largest retail company

in Australia.

9. Gregory B. Penner

Mr. Penner is a General

Partner at Madrone

Capital

Partners, an investment

management firm.

13. Douglas N. Daft

Mr. Daft is the retired Chairman

of the Board of Directors

and Chief Executive Officer of

The Coca-Cola Company,

a beverage manufacturer, where

he served in that

capacity from February 2000

until May 2004, and in

various other capacities since

1969.

2. Steven S Reinemund

Mr. Reinemund is the Dean of

Business and Professor of

Leadership and Strategy at

Wake Forest University. He

previously served as the

Chairman of the Board and

Chairman and Chief Executive

Officer of PepsiCo, Inc.

6. Aida M. Alvarez

Ms. Alvarez is the

former Administrator of

the U.S. Small

Business Administration

and was a member of

President

Clinton’s Cabinet from

1997 to 2001.

10. Timothy P. Flynn

Mr. Flynn is the retired

Chairman of KPMG

International, a

professional services

firm.

14.| C. Douglas McMillon

Mr. McMillon is the President

and Chief Executive Officer

of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

3. James I. Cash, Jr., Ph.D.

(Presiding director)

Dr. Cash is the James E.

Robison Emeritus Professor of

Business Administration at

Harvard Business School,

where he served from July 1976

to October 2003.

7. Jim C. Walton

Mr. Walton is the

Chairman of the Board

of Directors

and Chief Executive

Officer of Arvest Bank

Group, Inc.,

a group of banks

operating in the states of

Arkansas,

Kansas, Missouri and

Oklahoma.

11. Michael T. Duke

Mr. Duke is the

Chairman of the

Executive Committee of

the Board of Directors

of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

He is the

former President and

Chief Executive Officer

of Wal-Mart

Stores, Inc., serving in

that position from

February 2009

to January 2014.

15. Christopher J. Williams

Mr. Williams is the Chairman of

the Board of Directors and

Chief Executive Officer of The

Williams Capital Group, L.P.,

an investment bank.

4. H. Lee Scott, Jr.

Mr. Scott is the former

Chairman of the Executive

Committee of the Board of

Directors of Wal-Mart

Stores, Inc. He is the former

President and Chief

Executive Officer of Wal-Mart

Stores, Inc., serving in

that position from January 2000

to January 2009.

8. S. Robson Walton

Mr. Walton is the

Chairman of the Board

of Directors

of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

12. Marissa A. Mayer

Ms. Mayer is the Chief

Executive Officer and

President and

Director of Yahoo!,

Inc., a digital media

company.

16. Pamela J. Craig

Ms. Craig is the retired Chief

Financial Officer of

Accenture plc, a global

management consulting,

technology services, and

outsourcing company.

1.4 WALMART’S COPRATE SOCIAL ACTIVITY

In its 2014 Global Responsibility Report, Walmart said it has a responsibility to lead and an

opportunity to make a difference on “the big issues that matter to us all.” The company further

noted that it is “committed to using our size and scale to help the world live better.”

Walmart has implemented a number of initiatives, which focus on four key areas:

1. Social responsibility – Promoting women’s economic empowerment, giving more Americans

access to healthy food and helping relieve hunger.

2. Local responsibility – Making microloans, implementing school nutrition programs, assisting

with disaster relief and promoting local farming.

3. Environmental responsibility – Reducing energy use and plastic shopping bag waste,

eliminating landfill waste and requiring stricter product sustainability guidelines.

4. Company responsibility – Stakeholder engagement, promoting basic values, worker safety,

corporate compliance and governance.

In each of these areas, Walmart cites a number of pledges and successes:

Giving: The Walmart Foundation and Walmart exceeded $1 billion in charitable

contributions worldwide.

Renewable Energy: Building on the momentum of becoming the largest on-site green

power generator in the U.S., we pledged to increase our supply of renewable energy

globally by 600% by the end of 2020.

Women’s empowerment: Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are providing training

and career opportunities for nearly 1 million women worldwide.

U.S. manufacturing: Walmart has committed to purchasing an additional $50 billion in

U.S.-produced goods over the next 10 years.

Energy efficiency: Renewable energy sources account for 21% of Walmart’s electricity

worldwide.

Volunteerism: Collectively, our U.S. associates volunteered more than 1.8 million hours,

resulting in $17 million in donations in support of local organizations in FY 2014.

Veterans: The company hired more than 32,000 U.S. military veterans within the first

eight months of announcing our Welcome Home Commitment.

Diversity: Women account for almost 28% of Walmart’s corporate officers, about double

the average for Fortune 500 companies.

As the case of Walmart demonstrates, corporate social responsibility continues to gain attention

as globalization provides not only new challenges for businesses but also new opportunities to

make a difference in their communities and beyond. “Economic uncertainty around the globe

demands greater commitment, adaptability, and courage on the part of corporations,” the Council

on Foundations stated in its 2014 report Increasing Impact, Enhancing Value.

1.5 ACQUISITIONS

PACE Membership Warehouse (converted to Sam's Club)

Woolco Canada (converted to Walmart)

Asda (UK)

Amigo Supermarkets (PR)

McLane Company (acquired in 1993, later sold to Berkshire Hathaway in 2003)

The Seiyu, Ltd.

Wertkauf hypermarkets (Germany)

Interspar hypermarkets (Germany)

Bompreco (Brazil)

Walmart.com (started as a joint-venture, it has since been fully acquired and is a wholly

owned subsidiary of Wal-Mart)

Sonae Distribuição Brasil (Brazilian operations) - now WMS Supermercados do Brasil.

Seiyu Group - Walmart acquired a 6.1% stake in Seiyu beginning in May 2002. A majority

interest (53%) was acquired in December 2005, giving Walmart effective control of the

company. Walmart's stake in Seiyu was increase to 95% in December 2007, and by June

2008 the remaining shares were acquired, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.

Walmart de México y Centroamérica - In December 2009, Walmart Mexico acquired

Walmart´s operations in Central America from Walmart Stores and two minority partners. In

early 2010, the transaction was completed and Walmart México became Walmart México

and Central America. Walmart holds a 68.5% stake in the combined company.

Central American Retail Holding Company (CARHCO) - formed as a joint venture in

2001 with three equal partners: Royal Ahold NV and two Central American groups: the

Paiz family, the major shareholders of La Fragua; and Corporación de Supermercados

Unidos (CSU). In September 2005, Wal-Mart acquired a 33 1/3% interest in CARHCO

from the Dutch retailer Royal Ahold NV. In March 2006, Wal-Mart made an additional

investment, bringing its share of the firm to 51 percent and changing its name to Wal-

Mart Central America.

Cifra - Walmart's operations in Mexico started as Walmex, a joint venture between Cifra

of Mexico and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-Mart later bought a majority interest in Cifra

and changed the name to Walmart de Mexico. Walmex is independently traded on the

Mexican stock exchange, although Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. holds a majority interest.

In January 2009 Walmart completed the acquisition of 58.2% of the leading Chilean retailer

Distribucion y Servicio (D&S), adding brands of major importance in that market such as

Híper Lider. By March 2009, Walmart had increased its stake in D&S to approximately

73%. D&S was renamed Walmart Chile. In February 2014 it was announced that Walmart

had acquired the stock of the last major stockholders Mr. Felipe Ibanez Scott and Mr.

Nicolas Ibanez Scott, bringing the Walmart stake up to 99.72%. It was announced that

Walmart intends to launch a cash tender offer for the remaining outstanding shares.

In June 2011 Walmart completed the purchase of 51% of Massmart, which operates stores

primarily in South Africa but also operates in various Sub-Saharan African nations. Brands

added to the Walmart family include Cambridge Foods, Game, Dion Wired, Makro, Builders

Warehouse, Builders Express, Builders Trade Depot, CBW, Jumbo Cash and Carry, the

Shield buying group, etc. In July the South African government filed an appeal of the

Competition Tribunal's decision to allow the merger with minimal conditions, this follows an

appeal filed earlier by SACCAWU, a local labor union. By March 2012 the appeals court

dismissed the case by the governmental ministries, but acknowledge that there were

legitimate concerns about the effect of the deal on small producers and employment. The

appeals court decision effectively put an end to the legal challenges to the merger.

In October 2013 Walmart announced that it would end the 50/50 agreement with Bharti

Enterprises. Bharti would operate its retail stores independently, and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc

takes 100% ownership of the 20 Best Price Modern Wholesale cash and carry business

operating in India.

2. ORGANIZATION

2.1 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF WALMART

Wal-Mart’s management structure and management style model is the created by Sam Walton’s

principles and values. Increasing size and geographical scope of Wal-Mart determined that the

corporate executives should remain in touch with customers and store operations on constantly

basis. The key to the success of a good structure is the well-organized hierarchy levels and

effective communication. Wal-Mart is constructed into a three product divisional structure. It is

a structure due to which communication between individual stores and headquarters is close and

personal. The successful retail business categories include Wal-Mart Stores (U.S.), Sam's Club

(U.S.), and International stores. The divisional structure and approach is for Wal-Mart's

advantage because each division is open to focus on its efforts on specific goals such as

products, services, or customers. Narrow focus allows the companies to perform effectively

because they pinpoint specific areas which are needed to be changed and adjusted. Wal-Mart’s

regional vice presidents are responsible for supervising between 10 and 15 district managers.

The divisional structure is divided into three categories: product, market, and geographic.

Market Structure

Market structure groups employees together based upon specific markets in which it competes.

At Wal-Mart also a form of market structure is used. It sells products to individual consumers

and business customers. The sales and customer service departments are organized using market

structure. Consumer sales and consumer customer service function together while corporate sales

and corporate customer service worked together.

INDIVIDUAL STORE STRUCTURE OF WALMART

A divisional store structure is made up of separate, semi-autonomous units or divisions. Within

Walmart there are many different divisions and each division has its own goals to accomplish. A

manager oversees their division and manager is completely responsible for the success or failure

of the division. This gets managers to focus more on results knowing that they will be held

accountable for them.

2.2 GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD OF WALMART

WALMART U.S

Today, there are more than 4,000 total stores in 50 states and Puerto Rico offering a convenient

shopping experience across the U.S. Walmart offers low prices on the broadest assortment of

grocery and general merchandise through a variety of formats, ranging from supercenters and

supermarkets to smaller formats. Walmart also offer the convenience of online shopping at

walmart.com.

WALMART INTERNATIONAL

In 1991, Walmart became an international company when we opened a Sam’s Club near Mexico

City. Just two years later, Walmart International was created. Walmart operate retail units with

many different formats and leverage our global resources to meet local needs. Today, Walmart

International is the fastest-growing part of our overall business, with more than 6,000 stores and

more than 800,000 associates in 26 countries outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

SAM’S CLUB

The first Sam’s Club opened in Midwest City, Okla., in 1983, and has grown to include more

than 600 locations nationwide. Walmart warehouse membership format leverages insights to

deliver value and quality on a broad selection of name-brand merchandise and large-volume

items. On average, Walmart clubs are approximately 133,000 square feet and employ about 175

associates.

This timeline shows the number of Walmart stores worldwide from 2006 to 2014, by division.

Sam's Club operated 632 stores in the 2014 fiscal year. Sam's Club is a chain of membership-

only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Walmart. It was founded in 1983 and named

after Walmart founder Samuel Moore "Sam" Walton (1918 to 1992).

2.3 WALMART IN INDIA

Walmart India Private Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Walmart

India owns and operates 20 Best Price Modern Wholesale stores in 8 states across India. The first

store opened in Amritsar in 2009.

The Best Price stores offer best prices with unmatched convenience, choice, quality and hygiene.

The mission of Best Price is to “Enable small businesses to prosper.” To enter and purchase from

Best Price stores, it is mandatory to become a member.

The Best Price stores offer an assortment of around 5,000 items, including food and non-food

items, which are available at competitive wholesale prices, allowing retailers and business

owners to lower their cost of operations and maximize their revenues. A typical Best Price store

is about 50,000 square feet and sells a wide range of fresh, frozen and chilled food, fruits and

vegetables, dry groceries, personal and home care, hotel and restaurant supplies, clothing, office

supplies and other general merchandise items.

Over 90-95% of these products are sourced locally. This helps to keep costs to a minimum, adds

to the growth of local economy and creates job opportunities. Enhanced job opportunities are

also created locally as the store directly employs from the local community.

Corporate Office

Walmart India Pvt.Ltd.

4th Floor, Orchid Center,

Golf Course Road, Sector 53

Gurgaon 122002. (Haryana), India

Contact No: +91-124-4568500

Walmart service location in India

1. JAMMU 2. AMRITSAR 3. LUDHIANA 4. JALANDHAR 5. BANTHINDA 6. ZIRAKPUR

7. MEERUT 8. AGRA 9. KOTA 10. LUCKNOW 11. BHOPAL 12. INDORE 13. RAJPUR

14. AMRAVATI 15. AORANGABAD 16. HYDERBAD 17. RAJAMUNDRY

18. VIJAYAWADA 19. GUNTUR

WALMART CURRENT HEAD QUARTER

WALMART STORES INC.

Address

702 SW 8th Street

Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-8611,

US

3. MARKETS

3.1 Customer Segments based on stores

Wal-Mart Stores

Wal-Mart stores come in one of three traditional formats:

Supercenters average about 185,000 square feet in size and carry general merchandise

and include a supermarket that serves class one customers for all their luxurious products.

Discount Stores average approximately 108,000 square feet in size and carry a wide

assortment of general merchandise, but a limited assortment of food products.

Neighborhood Stores are usually about 42,000 square feet in size and carry a limited

assortment of general merchandise, but have a full supermarket that serves common

people for house hold groceries.

Sam’s Club

Provides goods for stores, restaurants, offices, daycares and schools, and motels. Sam’s Club

management remains focused on growing this foundation and improving its relationships with

small business owners. To this end, the company has expanded its offerings of office furniture

and restaurant supplies. The company also has services geared towards small business, such

as prescription drug plans and worker’s compensation claims.

Wal-Mart International

Wal-Mart operates international locations of its Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores as well as other

retail and supermarkets in Central and South America, Mexico, Canada, Japan, China, and the

United Kingdom. The company also has a global e-commerce unit called Global.com. The

purpose of the site is to drive online growth in new and existing markets.

Private Label Brands

About 40 percent of products sold in Walmart are private label store brands, which are products

offered by Walmart and produced through contracts with manufacturers. Walmart began offering

these 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,

it was the third most popular beverage brand in all of the United States. 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 Walmart appears to hold in the shoppers' minds when it

comes to the awareness of private label brands and retailers.

3.2 Major Brands

Sam's Choice

Sam's Choice, originally introduced as Sam's American Choice in 1991, a retail brand in food

and selected hard goods. Named for Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, Sam's Choice forms the

premium tier of Walmart's two-tiered core corporate grocery branding strategy that also includes

the larger Great Value brand of discount-priced staple items.

Compared to Great Value products and to other national brands, Sam's Choice is positioned as a

premium retail brand and is offered at a price competitive with standard national brands. It

typically offers either competitive items in a given product category, or items in categories where

the market leader is an "icon" (for example, Coca-Cola in the soft drink category).

Most Sam's Choice beverage products (excluding Grapette and Orangette) are manufactured for

Walmart by Cott Beverages. Other products in the line, including cookies, snack items, frozen

meals, and similar grocery items are made by a variety of agricultural and food manufacturers.

Competitive pricing of the Sam's Choice brand and store branded and generic goods is possible

because of the minimal expense required to market a retail chain's house brand, compared to

advertising and promotional expenses typically incurred by the national brands.

Most Sam's Choice-branded products have been replaced by either the relaunched Great Value

brand, or the new Marketside brand. The brand was reintroduced in 2013 with a new logo and a

focus on premium food products with organic ingredients.

Great Value

Great Value was launched in 1993 and forms the second tier, or national brand equivalent

("NBE"), of Walmart's grocery branding strategy.

Products offered through the Great Value brand are often claimed to be as good as national brand

offerings, but are typically sold at a lower price because of minimal marketing and advertising

expense. As a house or generic brand, the Great Value line does not consist of goods produced

by Walmart, but is a labeling system for items manufactured and packaged by a number of

agricultural and food corporations, such as ConAgra, Sara Lee which, in addition to releasing

products under its own brands and exclusively for Walmart, also manufactures and brands foods

for a variety of other chain stores. Often this labeling system, to the dismay of consumers, does

not list location of manufacture of the product. Wal-Mart contends that all Great Value products

are produced in the United States otherwise the country of origin would be listed.

As Walmart's most extensively developed retail brand, covering hundreds of household

consumable items, the Great Value line includes sliced bread, frozen vegetables, frozen dinners,

canned foods, light bulbs, trash bags, buttermilk biscuits, cinnamon rolls, pies and many other

traditional grocery store products. The wide range of items marketed under the Great Value

banner makes it Walmart's top-selling retail brand.

The Great Value brand can also be seen in Canada, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Argentina,

Chile and Brazil and some Trust Mart stores in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China through a

partnership with Walmart. Bharti EasyDay retail grocery stores sell Great Value brand products

in India as well. Great Value brand products as well as Walmart merchandise are also present

in Seiyu grocery stores (owned by Walmart) in Tokyo, Japan as of October 2014, despite at least

one report of a transition away from the brand.

By mid-summer 2009, Walmart had redesigned the Great Value labels to be predominantly

white. The new redesign also includes over 80 new items, including thin crust pizza, fat free

caramel swirl ice cream, strawberry yogurt, organic cage-free eggs, double stuffed sandwich

cookies, and teriyaki beef jerky. Walmart changed the formulas for 750 items, including:

breakfast cereal, cookies, yogurt, laundry detergent, and paper towels. The new brand was tested

by over 2,700 people. Other retailers are following suit with their private label packaging as well.

Great Value has also had a redesign in 2013 for most of its food items, replacing the

predominantly white designs with more colorful packaging.

Equate

Equate is a brand used for consumable pharmacy and health and beauty items, such as shaving

cream, skin lotion, over-the-counter medications, and pregnancy tests. Before its takeover by

Walmart, the formerly independent Equate brand sold consumer products at both Target and

Walmart at lower prices than those of name brands. Equate is an example of the strength of

Walmart's private label store brand. In a 2006 study, The Hartman Group marketing research

firm issued a report which found that "Five of the top 10 "likely to purchase" private label brands

are managed by Wal-Mart including: Great Value, Equate, Sam's Choice, Wal-Mart and

Member's Mark (Sam's Club), per the study." The report further noted that "...we are struck by

the magnitude of mind-share Wal-Mart appears to hold in shoppers' minds when it comes to

awareness of private label brands and retailers."

In mid-2010, the brand underwent a logo redesign, as well as packaging changes similar to the

Great Value brand.

Mainstays

A mainstay is a brand marketed by Walmart for its low cost alternative of bedding, ready to

assemble furniture, and home decor.

Ol' Roy

Ol' Roy is Walmart's store brand of dog food. Its namesake comes from Sam Walton's bird dog,

and has become the number-one selling brand of dog food in the United States,

surpassing Nestlé's Purina. Ol' Roy was created in 1983.

Walmart's Ol' Roy brand is a commonly cited example of the success of private label store

brands at the expense of traditional ad-driven brands. The brand manager of a competing product

said, "Wal-Mart has made a national brand out of Ol' Roy. Nutritionally, it's substantially the

same as national brands at significantly less cost. Another commentator said, "It's a dry dog food

made especially for Wal-Mart, which is the only place you can buy it, and its attributes have

been extolled in not a single TV commercial. Yet Ol' Roy is the top-selling dog food in the US

by an annual margin of at least 20 percent, according to Wal-Mart.

In 1998, samples of Ol' Roy (together with various other brands) were subject to qualitative

analyses for pentobarbital residue by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for

Veterinary Medicine due to suspicion that the anesthetizing drug may have found its way into pet

foods through euthanized animals, including cats and dogs. DNA test for all the samples failed to

detect cat and dog DNA but multiple Ol' Roy samples tested positive for the drug, presumably

from rendered cattle. The CVM has said that due to the low level of exposure, the risk of adverse

effects was low.

Dr. Thunder

Dr. Thunder is a brand of soft drink produced for Walmart stores. Dr. Thunder was originally

called "Southern Lightning", but the name was changed to reflect its similarities to Dr.Pepper.

Since 2009, Walmart has sourced their store brand sodas from multiple companies, having

previously exclusively used Cott Beverages as its manufacturer. The soda, as with all Walmart

store brands, is also carried by Asda stores in the UK.

Special Kitty

Special Kitty is Walmart's store brand of cat food and other cat care products, such as litter and

treats.

Parent's Choice

Parent's Choice is the Walmart store brand for baby products, including food, diapers, formula,

and accessories. Like other Walmart store brands, its design and packaging was relaunched in

2010. Parent's Choice is manufactured by Wyeth (a pharmaceutical company). Wyeth was

bought out by another pharmaceutical company in 2009, Pfizer.

White Stag

White Stag is a brand for women's clothing, footwear, and basic jewelry. Originally founded in

1931 as a skiwear manufacturer in Portland, Oregon, the company was purchased by

the Warnaco Group in 1966, which after the company exited bankruptcy, later sold the brand to

Walmart in 2003.

George

George is a brand of more formal clothing for men, women and children. It also consists of dress

shoes, wallets, belts, and neckties. It was created by the British retailer Asda in 1990, and since

Walmart acquired Asda in 1999, it has maintained and expanded it to other markets, notably the

United States, Canada, and Japan. The George brand was named after George Davies, who was

its original chief designer. Davies is no longer associated with the brand, although Asda and

Walmart have aimed to remain true to the low price business model that he established.

Apparel

Baby George is a clothing brand for children, organically manufactured for Wal-Mart.

Faded Glory is a brand for basic men's, women's, and children's clothing and footwear. It

is Walmart's primary clothing brand.

No Boundaries, usually abbreviated as NOBO, is a line of apparel targeted at teenagers

and young college students.

Simply Basic was previously a brand used for health and beauty items, but is now used

primarily for women's sleepwear.

Homelines

Better Homes and Gardens is a product line with designs inspired from the popular magazine of

the same name.

Hometrends products include small furniture, tableware and various home decor

accessories, such as rugs and faux plants.

your zone is a home product line that tailors toward teenagers and college students

Others

The Office is a brand used for office supplies and stationery.

Best Occasions is a brand used for party decorations and accessories, such as candles and

hats.

Clear American is used for carbonated and flavored water. Was previously known

as Sam's Choice Clear American.

Color Place is the brand used for paint and painting tools. Color Place paint is made

by AkzoNobel.

Douglas is the brand used for budget priced tires. Models include Xtra-Trac and Touring.

Some models are made in a Goodyear plant.

EverStart is the brand for automotive and lawn mower batteries. The brand is also used

for battery related accessories, such as jumper cables.

Fire Side Gourmet is used for pre-cooked burgers and steaks, and was previously under

the Sam's Choice label.

Gold's Gym is used for athletic and exercise equipment such as weights. Named after and

licensed from the chain of fitness centers.

Holiday Time is used for Christmas items such as Christmas trees, decorations, and

wrapping paper.

Kid Connection is used primarily for children's toys, but was also used for children's

clothing and shoes.

Marketside is a brand of fresh foods usually found in Walmart's deli, produce, and

bakery departments, such as salads, soups, breads, and sandwiches.

Oak Leaf is a brand of low cost wines produced and bottled for Walmart selling at

approximately $3 a bottle.

ONN is a brand used for entry-level electronics (mice, speakers, cables, etc.).

Ozark Trail is a brand used for outdoor equipment and footwear. (The Walmart Home

Office is located in the Ozark mountain region in northern Arkansas.)

Protege is a brand consisting of luggage and travel accessories.

ReliOn is a brand of diabetes care products, including blood glucose and blood pressure

monitors.

SuperTech is Walmart's brand of motor oil. The brand is also used on other consumable

automotive products, such as oil filters, windshield wiper fluid, and transmission fluid.

Walmart Family Mobile is Walmart's exclusive cell phone (postpaid) service provided

through the T-Mobile cellular network.

World Table is the brand used for upscale salsa, pizza, chips, cookies, etc. which are

manufactured exclusively for Walmart and fancier than the Great Value entry.

Price First/Prix Budget is a brand of everyday products, similar to Great Value, which are

sold exclusively in Canada.

Our Finest/Notre Excellence is a brand for upscale chips, cookies, frozen dinners, etc.

which are sold exclusively in Canada. This brand is comparable to World Table and is

manufactured in Canada exclusively for Walmart Canada.

Former brands

Athletic Works was a brand for athletic clothing until mid-2010, such as gym shorts and

running shoes, and has been partially replaced by the Gold's Gym brand and Starter. The

brand was also used for sports equipment and watches. The brand was also on men's and

women's socks, and men's underwear.

Canopy was a home product line that features coordinated solutions for rooms and other

domestic goods. The brand was replaced by the Better Homes and Gardens line in late

2012.

Durabrand was a brand used for home electronics such as televisions and DVD players.

The brand was also used on various small kitchen appliances.

ilo was another brand of home electronics, consisting of more upscale items such as

televisions, small electronics and digital music players.

Metro 7 was an upscale brand of women's apparel, that was originally released in the fall

of 2006, and eventually phased out.

Puritan was a brand for men's basic clothing, including shirts, pants, undergarments,

socks, ties, and some accessories. In late 2010, the brand was phased out completely and

replaced by Faded Glory (with undergarments and socks and casual clothing) and George

(with ties, shirts, and pants and formal clothing).

Promark was a brand for tools in the '80s and early '90s. It was replaced by Popular

Mechanics branding.

3.4 LOGO ANIMATION

They have come a long way since 1962. As their business has changed, so has their logo.

1962 - 1964

Walmart launched without a true logo. In fact, for the first two years, when the Walmart name

appeared in print, the font and style were chosen at the whim of the printer.

1964 - 1981

In 1964, the company selected a font. This “Frontier Font Logo” was the first official and first

consistently used logo in our history. It survived for nearly 20 years.

1968 - 1981

Along with the first official logo, we developed a Discount City mark. This mark appeared in

print advertising and in-store signage, as well as on employee uniforms and smocks. However, it

was never used on exterior building signage or in annual reports.

1981 - 1992

After nearly 20 years, the company dropped the frontier feel of the logo and introduced a fresh

new look for Walmart.

1992 - 2008

In 1992, we replaced the hyphen with a star. This logo can still be seen on many of our North

American storefronts as we continue to transition hundreds of stores to the newest logo.

2008 - Present

In 2008, Walmart underwent the most significant logo change to date, introducing a new font

and the iconic spark.

3.4 ADVERIZING AGENCY

Wal-Mart today announced the roster of advertising agencies it has selected to implement its

marketing campaigns going forward. The company has retained the following agencies:

Global Hue, based in Southfield, Michigan, will provide African-American creative;

Los Angeles-based I W Group will provide marketing programs focused on the Asian

Pacific American consumer;

Houston’s Lopez Negrete will lead Hispanic creative;

The Martin Agency, headquartered in Richmond, Va. and part of the Interpublic Group,

has been appointed Wal-Mart’s lead general market creative agency; and

Media planning and buying will be carried out by New York-based MediaVest, a full

service media and communications unit of Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), a

subsidiary of Publicis Group.

Wal-Mart’s Chief Marketing Officer John Fleming led the review. “Walmart’ve assembled a

top-tier group of marketing partners that have deep retail experience, recognized creativity and

an understanding of our customers. They are a ‘best in class’ team that will bring our brand to

life – telling the story of who we are and what we stand for: saving people money so they can

live better,” said Fleming, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Wal-Mart.

“Wal-Mart appreciates the efforts of the exceptional companies that participated in the

review. Walmart congratulate and welcome our new and returning agency partners and look

forward to working together to continue building and developing our brand,”

GlobalHue, the nation’s largest minority-owned, full-service multicultural communications

agency, provides market expertise to clients who want to reach African-American, Hispanic and

Asian American urban and youth consumers. The agency has offices in Detroit (Southfield),

New York and Los Angeles. Its 180 employees handle advertising, events and promotions, and

public relations for several clients including Verizon Wireless, Bermuda Department of Tourism,

U.S. Navy, American Airlines, Gambrinus, and the Internal Revenue Service.

IW Group (formerly known as Imada Wong Communications Group) is a national advertising,

marketing and public relations firm specializing in the U.S. Asian markets. The agency is based

in Los Angeles and also has offices in New York and San Francisco. The firm’s principles are

Bill Imada, chairman and CEO, and Nita Song, president and COO. IW Group was founded in

1990. IW Group represents companies such as American Airlines, Nissan North America,

GlaxoSmithKline, Merrill Lynch, Washington Mutual, and McDonald’s USA.

Lopez Negrete is an independent, Hispanic owned and operated agency specializing in Hispanic

marketing. Since 1985, Lopez Negrete has offered a full range of advertising, marketing and

public relations services to industry leaders such as Wal-Mart Stores, Tyson Foods, Bank of

America, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, ConAgra Foods, Visa USA, Azteca Milling, L.P., Microsoft

Corporation, Reliant Energy and others. Lopez Negrete is the second largest independent

Hispanic-owned agency.

The Martin Agency is a fully integrated, national advertising agency with offices in Richmond,

VA and New York. Servicing a wide range of consumer and B2B clients since 1965, the agency

has grown to be one of the leading creative agencies in America representing clients including

UPS, GEICO, BF Goodrich, Hanes and Discover Card. The agency has been ranked consistently

as one of the 10 best creative agencies in America.

MediaVest is a full service media and communications unit of Starcom MediaVest Group

(SMG), a subsidiary of Paris-based Publicis Groupe. Heralded as one of the first companies to

consistently deliver innovation and industry-first initiatives and products, MediaVest’s

longstanding client partnerships include some of the world’s leading marketers including Coca-

Cola Company, Kraft, Masterfoods and P&G.

VIMBY is the only real time, local, national production studio in the country. vimby have

brought their television, storytelling and branding expertise to 75+ markets and have emerged as

a new breed of studio, solving problems for brands, and at a speed no one has seen before.

3.5 CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT OF WALMART

1. Ashley Fuller Olsen is an American actress, fashion designer, producer, author, and

businesswoman. She co-founded luxury fashion brands

2. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer and actress.

3. Troyal Garth Brooks is an American singer-songwriter.

4. Mary-Kate Olsen is an American actress, fashion designer, producer, author, and

businesswoman.

5. Paul Harvey Aurandt better known as Paul Harvey, was a conservative

American radiobroadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks

6. Steven Patrick Garvey nicknamed "Mr. Clean" because of the squeaky clean image he held

throughout his career in baseball, is an American former Major League Baseball first

baseman and current Southern California businessman