Walmart (Nasdaq: WMT) is the world's largest retailer by revenue, founded in 1962 by brothers Sam and James "Bud" Walton in Rogers, Arkansas, and now headquartered in Bentonville. The company operates more than 10,750 stores and a growing portfolio of ecommerce sites across 19 countries, serving roughly 270 million customers and members weekly through three segments — Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. With fiscal year 2025 revenue of $681 billion and 2.1 million employees, it is the largest private employer in the world.
The company began as a single discount store and scaled through a relentless focus on supply-chain efficiency, low prices, and rural expansion that competitors initially dismissed. A public listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972 funded national rollout, the Sam's Club warehouse format launched in 1983, and later international acquisitions extended a footprint that today spans 19 countries. The defining pivot of the last decade has been omnichannel — store-fulfilled ecommerce, curbside pickup, and same-day delivery have re-cast the store fleet as forward distribution against 📝Amazon. Positioned against 📝Costco on warehouse value and 📝Target on assortment, Walmart's edge remains the one it started with: scale priced as a feature. The company moved its primary listing to Nasdaq in December 2025 and became the first traditional retailer valued above $1 trillion in February 2026.