Wal-Mart Stores (US)

In the retail universe, there are retailers and then there is Wal-Mart. Normal rules do not apply to this US colossus, whose annual revenues of $401bn in 2008 were roughly equal to those of the next four global retail groups combined. With Wal-Mart, all the numbers are big. Approximately 200m people visit Wal-Mart's stores every week, and almost 95% of American households shop there at least once a year. But America is by no means the only market to experience the Wal-Mart effect. The group is also a force in the international arena with operations in 14 other countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia. Yet the business is less than 50 years old, and virtually all its growth in the US since the first Wal-Mart store opened in 1962 has been generated organically, rather than as a result of acquisition. Advertising Age estimated global measured advertising expenditure of $734m in 2007, making Wal-Mart the world's #48 advertiser.

Click here to access the Adbrands profile (subscribers only); or subscribe to Adbrands.net here. Adbrands Company Profiles provide a detailed analysis of the history and current operations of leading advertisers, agencies and brands worldwide, and include a critical summary which identifies key strengths and weaknesses. Adbrands Account Assignments tracks account management for the world's leading brands and companies, including details of which advertising agency handles which accounts in which countries for major markets.

Advertising: Which agencies handle advertising for Wal-Mart? The searchable account assignments database is available to full subscribers to Adbrands.net premium services. Click here for subscription information.

Competitors: See Retail Sector index for other companies

Subscribers may access the following website links:

Wal-Mart Stores website

Sam's Club	Trust-Mart
Asda	Superama
Seiyu	Vips

Click HERE to subscribe to Adbrands.net and access the profile and website links