Overview When Sam Walton founded the first Wal-Mart in 1962, the idea of bringing in a discount-shopping store into rural America was almost unheard of, except for the local five and dime stores. When Walton noticed that he had a lot of competition from regional discount chains, him and his wife Helen traveled the country to study other new retailing concepts, and were convinced that it was the wave of the future. With Walton's vision, Wal-Mart …showed first 75 words of 9045 total…

…showed last 75 words of 9045 total…officer, to president and chief executive officer of Walmart.com. Wal-Mart reported record sales and record earnings in one of the most difficult business environments in recent years. They had a 12.3% increase in sales and a 21.5% increase in earnings per share. They reached one of their most important goals, which was to grow at a rate equal to or better than sales. Wal-Mart added 192 Supercenters, and is planning to add 210 more in the coming year.