A Brief Introduction to Wal-Mart in China

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. was founded by American retail legend Sam Walton in Arkansas in 1962.  Forty four years later, Wal-Mart serves more than 176 million customers per week.  It is the world’s largest private employer and retailer with over 1.9 million associates worldwide and more than 7,000 stores in 14 countries.

Wal-Mart came to China in 1996.  The first Supercenter and SAM'S CLUB were opened in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.  Today, there are 104 units in 55 cities, including 99 Supercenters, 3 SAM’S CLUBs and 2 Neighborhood Markets.  Across China Wal-Mart employs over 50,000 associates.

As an outstanding corporate citizen, Wal-Mart actively gives back to the community and has donated funds and in-kind support worth more than RMB36 million to local charities and welfare organizations over the past 12 years. As an organization, we also commit ourselves to environmental protection and sustainable development with our Sustainability 360 drive, which we integrate throughout our Chinese business and among our thousands of suppliers.

In China, as elsewhere, we follow the Wal-Mart tradition of building our business one store and one customer at a time.  We strive to provide our customers with friendly service and a wide selection of quality products at Every Day Low Prices.  With each Wal-Mart store we bring advanced retail know-how to the local market. By fostering a healthy, competitive environment, we hope to constantly improve our business operations and customer service in order to contribute to the prosperity of the local economy.

Wal-Mart firmly believes in local procurement.  We recognize that by purchasing quality products, we can generate more job opportunities, support local manufacturing and boost economic development.  Over 95% of the merchandise in our stores in China is sourced locally.  We have established partnerships with nearly 20,000 suppliers in China.  At Wal-Mart, we always work with our suppliers to grow together.  In August 2007, Wal-Mart once again secured the top spot of the 2007 Supplier Satisfaction Survey conducted by Business Information of Shanghai. Additionally, Wal-Mart directly exports about US$9 billion from China every year.  The export volume by third party suppliers is also estimated to be over US$9 billion.

Wal-Mart strives to be a good corporate citizen wherever it operates.  In China Wal-Mart has won a number of awards at the national level and numerous others at local level. Some of the most recent awards are listed below:

1. Most Supplier-friendly Retain Chain by Business Information of Shanghai
2. Academician-recognized Best Employers in China by www.ChinaHR.com
3. Top Multinational Company in Asia by The Wall Street Journal Asia
4. China Retail Industry’s Best Employer award by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association
5. Most Valuable Brands in China by FORTUNE China
6. Top 25 Most Influential Fortune 500 Companies Operating in Mainland China by Nanfang Weekend
7. Top Performer in China by Global Entrepreneur and The China-Europe International Business School
8. Best Employer in China by FORTUNE China and Watson Wyatt
9. Most Generous MNC Donors in China by Forbes China
10. Most Admired Companies in China by FORTUNE China
11. Community Involvement Award in China by the Guangming Daily

Wal-Mart will continue to grow in China and contribute to the local economy in the following areas:

• Increase procurement and support the export of Chinese products to international markets
• Increase investment in China, especially in the western provinces, in response to the governmental policy of “Developing the West”
• Create more employment opportunities and generate more tax revenues to benefit the local economy
• Work closely with consumer goods manufacturers, sharing information and resources, in order to help improve their production, technology and management skills
• Introduce advanced retail technology and experience to China and advance China’s retail industry standards and development

 

Updated: April 02, 2008

Wal-Mart History
Wal-Mart Global Data Sheet
The Map of Wal-Mart Around the World
Wal-Mart in China
Wal-Mart China Data Sheet
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