Wal-Mart Expresses Appreciation to Ten-Year Associates

Nov 21, 2005

November 21st, 2005 -- As the first activity commemorating Wal-Mart 10th anniversary in China, the Company invited over 120 associates and their family members from across the country to Shenzhen Head Office to celebrate their 10-year service with Wal-Mart.

These 10-year associates including senior managers and first-line colleagues have witnessed the growth of Wal-Mart in China. Despite their different experiences, everyone shared the same feeling during the celebration, i.e., Wal-Mart has created a favorable environment for their personal development.

53-year-old He Feizhan is a bag keeper in Shenzhen SAM’S CLUB. He has impressed his customers as a grey-haired senior always with a smile on his face. Even though his work space is only about one-square-meter in size, Mr. He works very hard and is full of passion for what he does every day, making his due contributions to the success of the company.

Shenzhen Western DM Grace Zhong was an ordinary associate in bedding department when she joined Wal-Mart 10 years ago. Thanks to the generous help of her coaches and through her own efforts, she learned very quickly and was promoted to her current position in charge of eight stores.

Joe Hatfield, Senior Vice President of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and President & CEO of Wal-Mart Asia said at the celebration: “Thanks to the hard working of our associates and the generous support of their family members, Wal-Mart has achieved tremendous success in China. As we accelerate our growth plan in this market, I feel extremely privileged to have so many associates who have been working with Wal-Mart for more than 10 years. I’m proud of you. You are our company’s biggest asset.”

To ensure that every associate has an equal opportunity to grow, Wal-Mart has taken a series of feasible measures, built upon the Company’s three basic beliefs, i.e., Respect for the Individual, Service to Our Customers, and Strive for Excellence. One of the main pillars of these measures is training. Associates can chose different courses according to their daily work and needs. Wal-Mart China has also taken the lead in introducing My Learning Center - an e-learning system, to its associates. Besides, the Company’s Succession Plan and Personal Development Program are great tools facilitating the associates’ career growth.

Wal-Mart’s favorable work environment has not only been recognized by its 27,000 associates nationwide, it has also been endorsed by media and various organizations. Over the past decade, Wal-Mart has been selected “the Most Respected Companies”, “2005 TOP 50 Academician-recognized Best Employers in China” and “the Most Admired Companies in US”, “2005 Best Employers-the Best Companies to Work for.” Early this month, Wal-Mart was awarded “2005 TOP 20 Best Employers in China”, a joint program by Fortune China Magazine and Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

As the world’s largest retailer and with global sales of $ 285.2 billion Wal-Mart has topped the Fortune Global 500 List for 4 consecutive years. So far, Wal-Mart runs 6000 stores in 16 countries including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, China, South Korea, Germany, UK, Japan, Guatemala, EI Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Wal-Mart employs over 1.6 million associates and near 140 million customers visit Wal-Mart stores every week worldwide.