Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Competition

Wal-Mart Stores is an irresistible (or at least unavoidable) retail force that has yet to meet any immovable objects. Bigger than Europe's Carrefour, Metro AG, and Tesco combined, it's the world's #1 retailer with some 2.2 million employees. In the US, Wal-Mart operates more than 4,000 stores, including 3,000-plus Supercenters that sell groceries and general merchandise, 620 Sam's Club warehouses, and a growing number of smaller format stores. The company's faster growing international division (29% of sales) numbers more than 6,100 locations; Wal-Mart is the #1 retailer in Canada and Mexico and has operations in Asia (where it owns a 95% stake in Japanese retailer SEIYU), Africa, Europe, and Latin America.