Walmart Inc. is a global US retail group that dominates a large part of the US market. Walmart is number one in the Fortune Global 500 list of the top-selling companies in the world.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2010,
or
Commission file number 1-6991.
WAL-MART STORES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)
702 S.W. 8th Street
Bentonville, Arkansas
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (479) 273-4000
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Name of each exchange on which registered
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for at least the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “accelerated filer,” large accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x
As of July 31, 2009, the aggregate market value of the voting common stock of the registrant held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing sale price of those shares on the New York Stock Exchange reported on July 31, 2009, was $107,499,377,333. For the purposes of this disclosure only, the registrant has assumed that its directors, executive officers and beneficial owners of 5% or more of the registrant’s common stock are the affiliates of the registrant.
The registrant had 3,759,007,514 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 26, 2010.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Document
Parts Into Which Incorporated
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION
This Annual Report on Form 10-K, the other reports, statements, and information that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (which individually or together with its subsidiaries, as the context otherwise requires, is hereinafter referred to as “we,” “Walmart” or the “company”) has previously filed or that we may subsequently file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and public announcements that we have previously made or may subsequently make include, may include, or may incorporate by reference certain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and that are intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by that Act. The forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K and that are or may be included or incorporated by reference in those reports, statements, information and announcements address our future economic performance, activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future, including or relating, but not limited to, our expected results of operations for certain periods, including our expected sales or earnings per share for certain periods and our comparable stores sales for a period, the amount, nature and allocation of future capital expenditures, opening of additional stores and clubs in the United States and additional units in the other countries in which we operate, conversion of discount stores into supercenters, relocations of existing units, remodeling of or special projects at existing units, expansion and other development trends of the retail industry, our ability to integrate newly acquired operations into our existing operations, our business strategy, our pricing strategy, our cost of goods, our inventory levels, the anticipated success and timing of various operating initiatives, our ability to increase our market share, our financing strategy, expansion and growth of our business, changes in our operations, including the mix of products sold, changes in expected sales of certain categories of products, our liquidity and ability to access the capital markets, the effect of economic developments on our customers, our operations and our results of operations, our annual tax rate, and other similar matters. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could occur,” “could result,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “plan,” “projected,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will change,” “will decrease,” “will have,” “will increase” and “will remain.” Although we believe the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this Form 10-K and such reports, statements, information and announcements are based or will be based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of our knowledge of our business, a number of factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements, whether oral or written, made by us or on our behalf. Many of these factors have previously been identified in filings or statements made by us or on our behalf.
Our business operations are subject to numerous risks, factors and uncertainties, domestically and internationally, that are outside our control. Any one, or a combination, of these risks, factors and uncertainties could materially affect our financial performance, our results of operations, including our sales, earnings per share or comparable store sales for any period, business operations, business strategy, plans, goals and objectives. These factors include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, including the current economic crisis and disruption in the financial markets, unemployment levels, credit availability to consumers and businesses, levels of consumer disposable income, consumer spending patterns and debt levels, inflation, deflation, the cost of the goods we sell, labor costs, transportation costs, the cost of diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas and electricity, the cost of healthcare benefits, accident costs, our casualty and other insurance costs, information security costs, the cost of construction materials, availability of acceptable building sites for new stores, clubs and other formats, competitive pressures, accident-related costs, weather patterns, catastrophic events, storm and other damage to our stores and distribution centers, weather-related closing of stores, availability and transport of goods from domestic and foreign suppliers, currency exchange fluctuations and volatility, trade restrictions, changes in tariff and freight rates, adoption of or changes in tax, labor and other laws and regulations that affect our business, costs of compliance with laws and regulations, the outcome of legal proceedings to which we are a party, interest rate fluctuations, and other capital market, economic and geo-political conditions and events, including civil unrest and terrorist attacks. Moreover, we typically earn a disproportionate part of our annual operating income in the fourth quarter as a result of the seasonal buying patterns. Those buying patterns are difficult to forecast with certainty. The foregoing list of factors that may affect our operations and financial performance is not exclusive. Other factors and unanticipated events could adversely affect our business operations and financial performance. Our business operations, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity are subject to other risk factors, which we discuss below under the caption “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” In addition, from time to time we may disclose additional risk factors in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports filed with the SEC. Readers are urged to consider all of these risks, uncertainties and other factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements that we make or that are made by others on our behalf are based on a knowledge of our business and the environment in which we operate, but because of the factors described and listed above, as well as the other risks, uncertainties and other factors, or as a result of changes in facts, assumptions not being realized or other circumstances, actual results may differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements. Consequently, this cautionary statement qualifies all of the forward-looking statements we make including those made herein and that are incorporated by reference herein. We cannot assure the reader that the results or developments expected or anticipated by us will be realized
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or, even if substantially realized, that those results or developments will result in the expected consequences for us or affect us, our business, our operations or our operating results in the way we expect. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. We undertake no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances except to the extent required by applicable law.
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ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JANUARY 31, 2010
PART I
General
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (“Walmart,” the “company” or “we”) operates retail stores in various formats around the world and is committed to saving people money so they can live better. We earn the trust of our customers every day by providing a broad assortment of quality merchandise and services at every day low prices (“EDLP”) while fostering a culture that rewards and embraces mutual respect, integrity and diversity. EDLP is our pricing philosophy under which we price items at a low price every day so our customers trust that our prices will not change under frequent promotional activity. Our fiscal year ends on January 31 for our U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico operations. Our fiscal year ends on December 31 for all other operations. During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2010, we had net sales of $405.0 billion.
Our operations comprise three business segments: Walmart U.S., International and Sam’s Club.
Our Walmart U.S. segment is the largest segment of our business, accounting for 63.8% of our fiscal 2010 net sales and operates retail stores in different formats in the United States, as well as Walmart’s online retail operations, walmart.com.
Our International segment consists of retail operations in 14 countries and Puerto Rico. This segment generated 24.7% of our fiscal 2010 net sales. The International segment includes numerous different formats of retail stores and restaurants, including discount stores, supercenters and Sam’s Clubs that operate outside the United States.
Our Sam’s Club segment consists of membership warehouse clubs in the United States and the segment’s online retail operations, samsclub.com. Sam’s Club accounted for 11.5% of our fiscal 2010 net sales.
We maintain our principal offices at 702 S.W. 8th Street, Bentonville, Arkansas 72716, USA.
The Development of Our Company
Although Walmart was incorporated in Delaware in October 1969, the businesses conducted by our founders began in 1945 when Sam M. Walton opened a franchise Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas. In 1946, his brother, James L. Walton, opened a similar store in Versailles, Missouri. Until 1962, our founders’ business was devoted entirely to the operation of variety stores. In that year, the first Wal-Mart Discount City, which was a discount store, opened in Rogers, Arkansas. In fiscal 1984, we opened our first three Sam’s Clubs, and in fiscal 1988, we opened our first supercenter. In fiscal 1999, we opened our first Neighborhood Market.
In fiscal 1992, we began our first international initiative when we entered into a joint venture in Mexico, in which we owned a 50% interest along with Cifra S.A. de C.V. (“Cifra”). In fiscal 1998, we acquired the controlling interest in Cifra, and in February 2000, Cifra officially changed its name to Wal-Mart de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. Since fiscal 1992, our international presence has continued to expand. At January 31, 2010, our International segment was comprised of our wholly-owned subsidiaries operating in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom, our majority-owned subsidiaries operating in five countries in Central America, and in Chile and Mexico, our joint ventures in India and China and our other controlled subsidiaries in China.
As of the end of fiscal 2010, we operated 803 discount stores, 2,747 supercenters, 158 Neighborhood Markets and 596 Sam’s Clubs in the United States. Our International segment operated units in Argentina (43), Brazil (434), Canada (317), Chile (252), Costa Rica (170), El Salvador (77), Guatemala (164), Honduras (53), India (1), Japan (371), Mexico (1,469), Nicaragua (55), Puerto Rico (56) and the United Kingdom (371) at the end of fiscal 2010. We also operated 279 stores in China through a combination of joint ventures and other controlled subsidiaries at the end of fiscal 2010. As of the end of fiscal 2010, our Indian business consisted of wholesale cash-and-carry and back-end supply chain management operations through our joint venture with Bharti Enterprises and technical support to the retail stores of Bharti Retail through a franchise agreement.
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Our Business Segments
The company is engaged in the operations of retail stores located in all 50 states of the United States, our wholly-owned subsidiaries in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom, our majority-owned subsidiaries in Central America, Chile and Mexico and our joint ventures in India and China and our other controlled subsidiaries in China. The company defines our segments as those business units whose operating results our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) regularly reviews to analyze performance and allocate resources.
The Walmart U.S. segment includes the company’s mass merchant concept in the United States operating under the “Walmart” or “Wal-Mart” brand, as well as walmart.com. The International segment consists of the company’s operations outside of the 50 United States. The Sam’s Club segment includes the warehouse membership clubs in the United States, as well as samsclub.com.
The company measures the results of its segments using each segment’s operating income which includes certain corporate overhead allocations. From time to time, we revise the measurement of each segment’s operating income, including any corporate overhead allocations, as dictated by the information regularly reviewed by our CODM. When we do so, the segment operating income for each segment affected by the revisions is restated for all periods presented to maintain comparability.
Walmart U.S. Segment
The Walmart U.S. segment had net sales of $258.2 billion, $255.3 billion and $238.9 billion for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. During the most recent fiscal year, no single discount store, supercenter or Neighborhood Market location accounted for as much as 1% of total company net sales.
General. As a mass merchandiser of consumer products, the Walmart U.S. segment operates retail stores in all 50 states, with supercenters in 48 states, discount stores in 47 states and Neighborhood Markets in 16 states. Supercenters range in size from 80,000 square feet to 260,000 square feet, with an average size of approximately 185,000 square feet. Our discount stores range in size from 30,000 square feet to 219,000 square feet, with an average size of approximately 108,000 square feet. Neighborhood Markets range in size from 14,000 square feet to 62,000 square feet, with an average size of approximately 42,000 square feet. From time to time, Walmart U.S. tests different store formats to meet market demands and needs. Customers can also purchase a broad assortment of merchandise and services online at www.walmart.com.
WALMART U.S. SEGMENT
STORE COUNT AND SQUARE FOOTAGE (1)
Fiscal Year
Balance Forward
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
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Merchandise. Walmart U.S. does business in six strategic merchandise units, listed below, across several store formats including discount stores, supercenters and Neighborhood Markets.
Grocery consists of a full line of grocery items, including meat, produce, deli, bakery, dairy, frozen foods, floral and dry grocery, as well as consumables such as health and beauty aids, household chemicals, paper goods and pet supplies;
Entertainment contains electronics, toys, cameras and supplies, photo processing services, cellular phones, cellular service plan contracts and prepaid service;
Hardlines consist of fabrics and crafts, stationery and books, automotive accessories, hardware and paint, horticulture and accessories, sporting goods, outdoor entertaining and seasonal merchandise;
Apparel includes apparel for women, girls, men, boys and infants, shoes and jewelry;
Health and Wellness includes pharmacy and optical services; and
Home includes home furnishings, housewares and small appliances.
The Walmart U.S. segment also offers financial services and products, including money orders, wire transfers, check cashing and bill payment.
Nationally advertised merchandise represents a significant portion of sales in the Walmart U.S. segment. We also market lines of merchandise under our private-label store brands including “Great Value,” “Equate,” “Ol’ Roy,” “Spring Valley,” “Parent’s Choice,” “Marketside,” “Oak Leaf,” “Prima Della,” “Everstart,” “Faded Glory,” “No Boundaries,” “George,” “Athletic Works,” “Secret Treasures,” “Puritan,” “Hometrends,” “Mainstays,” “Ozark Trail,” “White Stag” and “Canopy.” The company also markets lines of merchandise under licensed brands, some of which include “General Electric,” “Black & Decker,” “Rival,” “Disney,” “Better Homes & Gardens,” “OP,” “Starter,” “Danskin Now” and “Just My Size.”
Sales for the Walmart U.S. segment by strategic merchandise unit were as follows during the fiscal year ended:
STRATEGIC MERCHANDISE UNITS
Grocery
Entertainment
Hardlines
Apparel
Health and Wellness
Home
Total
Operations. Hours of operation for nearly all supercenters and an increasing number of discount stores and Neighborhood Markets are 24 hours each day. Hours of operation for the remaining supercenters, discount stores and Neighborhood Markets vary by location, but are generally 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 or 11:00 p.m., seven days a week. We accept a variety of payment methods including credit cards, debit cards, EBT cards, a private-label store credit card issued by a third-party provider and online payments through PayPal. In addition, our pharmacy and optical departments accept payments for products and services through our customers’ health benefit plans.
Seasonal Aspects of Operations. The Walmart U.S. segment’s business is seasonal to a certain extent. Generally, its highest volume of sales occurs in the fourth fiscal quarter, which includes the holiday season, and the lowest volume occurs during the first fiscal quarter.
Competition. Our supercenters compete with other supercenter-type stores, hypermarts, discount stores, supermarkets, department, drug, variety and specialty stores, many of which are national or regional chains. Our discount stores and Neighborhood Markets compete with other discount, department, drug, variety and specialty stores and supermarkets, many of which are national or regional chains. We also compete with internet-based retailers and catalog businesses and with other retailers for new store sites.
Our ability to develop the right locations and offer value and service to our customers largely determines our competitive position within the retail industry. We employ many programs designed to meet competitive pressures within our industry. These programs include the following:
EDLP – our commitment to price leadership and our pricing philosophy under which we price items at a low price every day so our customers trust that our prices will not change under frequent promotional activity;
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Rollbacks – our commitment to continually pass cost savings on to the customer by lowering prices on selected goods;
Store of the Community – a program to ensure that the merchandise assortment in a particular store fits the demographic needs of the local community in which that store is located;
Clean, Fast and Friendly – our commitment to deliver a great customer experience through fast, friendly service in a clean environment;
Win, Play and Show – a strategy to select a merchandise assortment based on our growth potential, economies of scale and customer credibility in each business;
Save Even More – a strategy to meet or be below a competitor’s advertised price on key value items; and
Project Impact – a program to clarify merchandise offerings, improve customer experience, and increase productivity.
We offer a broad assortment of merchandise that provides one-stop shopping, in-stock levels that provide confidence to our customers that we will have what they need and operating hours that allow customers to shop at their convenience. We believe these factors provide us with additional competitive advantages.
Distribution. During fiscal 2010, approximately 79% of the Walmart U.S. segment’s purchases of merchandise were shipped to the segment’s stores through our distribution centers. The balance of merchandise purchased was shipped directly to stores from suppliers. General merchandise is transported to stores primarily through our private truck fleet. However, we contract with common carriers to transport the majority of our perishable and dry grocery merchandise.
Our Walmart U.S. segment operations are supported by 120 distribution facilities as of January 31, 2010, located strategically throughout the continental United States. Of these 120 distribution facilities, we owned and operated 105. Third parties owned and operated the remaining 15 distribution facilities. During fiscal 2010, the company opened a third-party return center and dot com facility; one owned return center and two third-party facilities were closed. In addition to servicing the Walmart U.S. segment, some of our Walmart distribution centers also service our Sam’s Club segment for certain items.
International Segment
The International segment’s net sales for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, were $100.1 billion, $98.8 billion and $90.6 billion, respectively. During the most recent fiscal year, no single unit accounted for as much as 1% of total company net sales.
General. Our International segment is comprised of our wholly-owned subsidiaries operating in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom, our majority-owned subsidiaries operating in five countries in Central America, and in Chile and Mexico, our joint ventures in India and China and our other controlled subsidiaries in China.
INTERNATIONAL SEGMENT
UNIT COUNT AND SQUARE FOOTAGE(1)
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International unit counts and operating formats (1):
Country
Argentina
Brazil(2)
Canada
Chile
China
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
India
Japan
Mexico(3)
Nicaragua
Puerto Rico
United Kingdom
Grand Total
Merchandise. The merchandising strategy for the International segment is similar to that of our operations in the United States in terms of the breadth and scope of merchandise offered for sale. While brand name merchandise accounts for a majority of sales, numerous store brands not found in the United States have been developed to serve customers in the different markets in which the International segment operates. In addition, steps have been taken to develop relationships with local suppliers in each country to ensure reliable sources of quality merchandise.
Operations. The hours of operation for operating units in the International segment vary by country and by individual markets within countries, depending upon local and national ordinances governing hours of operation. We accept a variety of payment methods including credit cards, debit cards and private-label store credit cards issued by third-party providers. Other consumer finance programs exist in certain markets to facilitate the purchase of goods by the customer.
Across the International segment, we are leveraging best practices, lessons from multiple store formats and global sourcing practices. In addition, relationships with key global suppliers continue to help us leverage our volumes across countries.
Seasonal Aspects of Operations. The International segment’s business is seasonal to a certain extent. Generally, a large volume of sales occur in our fourth fiscal quarter. The seasonality of the business varies by country due to different national and religious holidays, festivals and customs, as well as different climatic conditions.
Competition. The International segment competes with a variety of local, national and international chains in the supermarket, discount, department, drug, variety and specialty stores, supercenter-type stores, hypermarts, wholesale clubs, internet-based retailers and catalog businesses in each of the countries in which we operate. We also operate local, national and international restaurant chains in Mexico, and consumer finance operations in Chile and in Mexico. Our ability to offer our customers low prices on quality merchandise that offers exceptional value in the International segment determines, to a large extent, our competitive position. In our international units, our ability to operate the food departments effectively has a major impact on the segment’s competitive position in the markets where we operate.
Distribution. We utilize a total of 132 distribution facilities located in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom, including two export
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consolidation facilities in the United States. Through these facilities, we process and distribute both imported and domestic products to the operating units of the International segment. During fiscal 2010, approximately 83% of the International segment’s purchases flowed through these distribution facilities. Suppliers ship the balance of the International segment’s purchases directly to our stores in the various countries in which we operate. Of these 132 distribution facilities, we owned and operated 34 and leased and operated 37. Third parties owned and operated the remaining 61 distribution facilities.
Sam’s Club Segment
The Sam’s Club segment had net sales of $46.7 billion, $46.9 billion and $44.3 billion for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. During the most recent fiscal year, no single club location accounted for as much as 1% of total company net sales.
General. As a membership club warehouse, we operate Sam’s Clubs in 48 states. Facility sizes for Sam’s Clubs generally range between 71,000 and 190,000 square feet, with an average size of approximately 133,000 square feet. Sam’s Club also provides its members with a broad assortment of merchandise and services online at www.samsclub.com.
SAM’S CLUB SEGMENT
CLUB COUNT AND SQUARE FOOTAGE (1)
Merchandise. Sam’s Club offers brand name merchandise, including hardgoods, some softgoods and selected private-label items including “Member’s Mark,” “Bakers & Chefs” and “Sam’s Club” brands in five categories, listed below, within the warehouse club format.
Food & Beverages, including dairy, meat, bakery, deli, produce, dry, chilled or frozen packaged foods, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, floral and other grocery items;
Health and Wellness, including pharmacy and optical services, HBA, OTC, paper goods, laundry and home care, baby care, pet supplies and restaurant supplies;
Technology, Office and Entertainment, including electronics, wireless, software, video games, movies, books, music, toys, office supplies, office furniture and photo processing;
Home and Apparel, including home improvement, outdoor living, grills, gardening, furniture, apparel, jewelry, house wares, seasonal items, mattresses and small appliances; and
Tobacco/Candy and Fuel/Auto, including snack foods, tobacco, tools and power equipment, tire and battery centers and gasoline stations.
Sales for the Sam’s Club segment by general merchandise category were as follows during the fiscal year ended:
CATEGORY
Food & Beverage
Health & Wellness
Technology, Office & Entertainment
Home & Apparel
Tobacco/Candy & Fuel/Auto
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Operations. Operating hours for Sam’s Clubs are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Additionally, all club locations offer a Gold Key program that permits business members to shop before the regular operating hours Monday through Saturday, starting at 7:00 a.m.
Sam’s Clubs are membership-only operations. A variety of payment methods are accepted at our clubs, including debit cards, certain types of credit cards, and a private label and co-branded Discover credit cards issued by a third-party provider. In addition, our pharmacy and optical departments accept payments for products and services through our customers’ health benefit plans.
Members include both business owners and individual consumers. Individual consumers are referred to as Advantage members. The annual membership fee for an individual Advantage member is $40 for the primary membership card, with a spouse/household card available at no additional cost. The annual membership fee for business members is $35 for the primary membership card, with a spouse/household card available at no additional cost. In addition, business members can add up to eight business associates to their business account for $35 each. Sam’s Club PLUS is a premium membership program that offers additional benefits and services. The annual fee for a Primary PLUS member (Business or Advantage) is $100. In addition, Business Plus primary members can add up to 16 business associates to their business membership for $35 each.
Seasonal Aspects of Operations. The Sam’s Club segment’s business is seasonal to a certain extent. Generally, its highest volume of sales occurs in the fourth fiscal quarter, which includes the holiday season, and the lowest volume occurs during the first fiscal quarter.
Competition. Sam’s Club competes with other warehouse clubs, as well as with discount retailers, retail and wholesale grocers, general merchandise wholesalers and distributors, internet-based retailers and catalog businesses. Sam’s Club competes with other retailers and warehouse clubs for desirable new club sites. Our ability to offer low prices and quality merchandise to meet the needs of our members largely determines our competitive position in the warehouse club industry.
Distribution. During fiscal 2010, approximately 63% of the Sam’s Club segment non-fuel purchases were shipped from the Sam’s Club segment’s dedicated distribution facilities and some of the Walmart U.S. segment’s distribution centers for certain items. Suppliers shipped the balance of the Sam’s Club purchases directly to Sam’s Club locations. As of January 31, 2010, our Sam’s Club segment operations were supported by 26 distribution facilities located strategically throughout the continental United States. Of these 26 distribution facilities, we owned and operated eight. Third parties owned and operated the remaining 18 distribution facilities.
The principal focus of our Sam’s Club’s distribution operations is on crossdocking merchandise, while stored inventory is minimized. Crossdocking is a distribution process under which shipments are directly transferred from inbound to outbound trailers. Shipments typically spend less than 24 hours in a crossdock facility, sometimes less than an hour.
Sam’s Club uses a combination of our private truck fleet, as well as common carriers to transport non-perishable merchandise from distribution centers to clubs. We contract with common carriers to transport perishable grocery merchandise from distribution centers to clubs.
Other Segment Information
Certain financial information relating to our segments is included in our Annual Report to Shareholders under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included therein, which information is incorporated herein by reference. Note 14 includes information regarding our net revenues received from external customers and the total assets of continuing operations we held in the United States and the other countries in which we operate. Portions of our Annual Report to Shareholders are included as an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Employees
As of the end of fiscal 2010, the company and its subsidiaries employed approximately 2.1 million employees (“associates”) worldwide, with approximately 1.4 million associates in the United States and 700,000 associates internationally. Similar to other retailers, the company has a large number of part-time, hourly or non-exempt employees and experiences significant turnover in employees each year. In the United States, the company offers a broad range of company-paid benefits to our associates, including the Walmart Profit Sharing and 401(k) Plan, store discount cards or Sam’s Club memberships, bonuses based on company performance, matching a portion of purchases in the Associate Stock Purchase Program, and life insurance. The company also offers health-care benefits to eligible full-time and part-time associates. The company’s medical plan has no lifetime maximum benefit for most expenses.
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In our operations outside the United States, the company provides a variety of associate benefits that vary based on customary local practices and statutory requirements.
Our Website and Availability of SEC Reports and Other Information
Our corporate website is located at www.walmartstores.com. We file with or furnish to the SEC Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendment to those reports, proxy statements and annual reports to shareholders, and, from time to time, other documents. The reports and other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC are available to investors on or through our corporate website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with or furnish them to the SEC. In addition, the public may read and copy any of the materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, such as the company, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov. Our SEC filings, our Senior Financial Officer Code of Ethics and our Statement of Ethics can be found on the Investor Relations page of our website at www.walmartstores.com/investors. These documents are available in print to any shareholder who requests a copy by writing or calling our Investor Relations Department, which is located at our principal offices.
A description of any substantive amendment or waiver of Walmart’s Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers will be disclosed on the Investor Relations page of our website at www.walmartstores.com under the Corporate Governance section. Any such description will be located on our website for a period of 12 months following the amendment or waiver.
The risks described below could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. These risks are not the only risks that we face. Our business operations could also be affected by additional factors that apply to all companies operating in the United States and globally, as well as other risks that are not presently known to us or that we currently consider to be immaterial to our operations.
General economic factors, both domestically and internationally, may adversely affect our financial performance.
General economic conditions, globally or in one or more of the markets we serve, may adversely affect our financial performance. In the United States, higher interest rates, higher fuel and other energy costs, weakness in the housing market, inflation, deflation, higher levels of unemployment, decreases in consumer disposable income, unavailability of consumer credit, higher consumer debt levels, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, higher tax rates and other changes in tax laws, other regulatory changes, overall economic slowdown and other economic factors could adversely affect consumer demand for the products and services we sell through our Walmart U.S. segment and Sam’s Club segment, change the mix of products we sell to one with a lower average gross margin, cause a slowdown in discretionary purchases of goods and result in slower inventory turnover and greater markdowns on inventory. Higher levels of unemployment, inflation, deflation, decreases in consumer disposable income, changes in tax and other laws, higher fuel and other energy costs, weakness in the local housing market, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, currency devaluations and other adverse developments in the economies of the other countries in which we operate may adversely affect consumer demand for our merchandise in those countries, especially those countries in which average incomes are significantly lower than in the United States. These conditions may adversely affect our gross margins, cost of sales, inventory turnover and markdowns or otherwise adversely affect our operations and operating results in our International segment.
Higher interest rates, higher fuel and other energy costs, transportation costs, inflation, higher costs of labor, insurance and healthcare, foreign exchange rates fluctuations, higher tax rates and other changes in tax laws, the imposition of measures that create barriers to or increase the costs associated with international trade, changes in other laws and regulations and other economic factors in the United States and other countries in which we have operations can increase our cost of sales and operating, selling, general and administrative expenses, and otherwise adversely affect our domestic and international operations and our operating results. The economic factors that affect our operations, also affect the operations and economic viability of our suppliers from whom we purchase goods, a factor that can result in an increase in the cost to us of the goods we sell to our customers or, in more extreme cases, could result in certain suppliers not producing goods in the volume typically available to us for sale.
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We may face impediments to our expansion in the United States, including conversions of discount stores into supercenters, which may adversely affect our financial performance.
Our expansion strategy depends upon our ability to execute our retail concepts successfully in new markets within the United States and upon our ability to increase the number of stores in markets in which we currently have operations. Our ability to open additional supercenters, discount stores, Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Clubs and to convert existing discount stores into supercenters depends in large measure upon our ability to locate, hire and retain qualified personnel and to acquire new store sites on acceptable terms. Local land use and other regulations restricting the construction of buildings of the type in which we operate our various formats, as well as local community action opposed to the location of specific stores at specific sites and the adoption of certain local laws restricting our operations, may affect our ability to open new stores and clubs, to convert discount stores into supercenters or to relocate or expand existing units in certain cities and states. Increased real estate, construction and development costs could limit our growth opportunities and our ability to convert our discount stores into supercenters. If we are unable to open new supercenters, discount stores, Neighborhood Markets or Sam’s Clubs or continue to convert discount stores into supercenters, our financial performance, such as net sales and operating income growth, could be adversely affected. In addition, if consumers in the markets into which we expand are not receptive to our retail concepts or are otherwise not receptive to our presence in a market, our financial performance could be adversely affected.
Impediments to the expansion of our International operations could adversely affect our financial performance.
Our business strategy for our International segment includes expansion by selective acquisitions and strategic alliances that add new stores and markets to our existing International business, as well as opening new units in the countries in which we have existing operations. In the countries in which we have existing operations, new units may be opened in the formats already existing in those countries or may be opened in newly introduced formats, such as supercenters or Sam’s Clubs, not previously operated in those markets. As in the United States, our ability to open new stores or to expand or relocate existing stores in a market served by our International segment depends in large measure upon our ability to locate, hire and retain qualified personnel and our ability to acquire new store sites on acceptable terms. Local laws can affect our ability to acquire attractive pre-existing buildings in which to locate units or sites on which to build new units or to expand existing units. In addition, access to local suppliers of certain types of goods may limit our ability to add new units or to expand product selections in existing units in certain markets. Moreover, cultural differences in some markets into which we expand or into which we introduce new retail concepts may result in the consumers in those markets not being as receptive to our retail concepts as we anticipate those consumers will be and may make an effective response to such issues more difficult to achieve. If we do not effectively execute our expansion plans for our International segment, our financial performance could be adversely affected.
We may be unable to continue to identify suitable acquisition candidates at acceptable prices and may not be successful in completing the acquisition of any such candidate identified. Although we ultimately believe we will be able to successfully integrate any newly acquired operations into our existing operations, no certainty exists that future acquisitions or alliances will be successfully integrated into our operations or can be successfully integrated in a reasonable time. Our failure to identify appropriate candidates for acquisition or alliance or to integrate effectively future acquisitions and alliances into our existing operations could adversely affect the growth of our International segment and our future financial performance.
Failure to attract and retain qualified associates, changes in laws and other labor issues could adversely affect our financial performance.
Our ability to continue to expand our operations in the United States and abroad depends on our ability to attract and retain a large and growing number of qualified associates. Our ability to meet our labor needs, including our ability to find qualified personnel to fill positions that become vacant at our existing stores, clubs and distribution centers, while controlling our associate wage and related labor costs, is generally subject to numerous external factors, including the availability of a sufficient number of qualified persons in the work force of the markets in which we are located, unemployment levels within those markets, prevailing wage rates, changing demographics, health and other insurance costs and adoption of new or revised employment and labor laws and regulations. If we are unable to locate, to attract or to retain qualified personnel, if our costs of labor or related costs increase significantly or if new or revised labor laws, rules or regulations are adopted, our financial performance could be affected adversely.
We face strong competition from other retailers and wholesale club operators, which could adversely affect our financial performance.
The retail business is highly competitive. Each of our business segments competes for customers, employees, store sites, products and services and in other important aspects of its business with many other local, regional and national retailers, both in the United States and in the foreign countries in which we have operations. Our Walmart U.S. segment competes with
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retailers operating discount, department, drug, variety and specialty stores, supermarkets, supercenter-type stores and hypermarts, as well as internet-based retailers and catalog businesses. Our Sam’s Club segment competes with other wholesale club operators, as well as discount retailers, retail and wholesale grocers and general merchandise wholesalers and distributors, as well as internet-based retailers, wholesalers and catalog businesses. Internationally, we compete with retailers who operate department, drug, variety and specialty stores, supermarkets, supercenter-type stores, hypermarts, wholesale clubs, internet-based retailers and catalog businesses. Such retailers and wholesale club operators compete in a variety of ways, including merchandise selection and availability, services offered to customers, location, store hours, in-store amenities and price. Our ability to offer value and service to our customers through various programs, including EDLP, Rollbacks and Store of the Community, have allowed us to compete successfully against our competitors in most instances. Where necessary to compete effectively with competitors who price merchandise at points lower than the prices we set under our EDLP philosophy, we will lower our prices on goods for sale. Our ability to respond effectively to competitive pressures and changes in the retail markets could adversely affect our financial performance. See “Item 1. Business” above for additional discussion of our competitive situation in our various operating segments.
Although the retail industry as a whole is highly fragmented, certain segments of the retail industry are currently undergoing some consolidation, which could result in increased competition and significantly alter the dynamics of the retail marketplace. Such consolidation may result in competitors with greatly improved financial resources, improved access to merchandise, greater market penetration than they previously enjoyed and other improvements in their competitive positions. Such business combinations could result in the provision of a wider variety of products and services at competitive prices by such consolidated companies, which could adversely affect our financial performance.
Risks associated with the suppliers from whom our products are sourced and the safety of those products could adversely affect our financial performance.
The products we sell are sourced from a wide variety of domestic and international suppliers. Global sourcing of many of the products we sell is an important factor in our financial performance. All of our suppliers must comply with applicable laws, including labor and environmental laws, and otherwise be certified as meeting our required supplier standards of conduct. Our ability to find qualified suppliers who meet our standards, and to access products in a timely and efficient manner is a significant challenge, especially with respect to suppliers located and goods sourced outside the United States. Political and economic instability in the countries in which foreign suppliers are located, the financial instability of suppliers, suppliers’ failure to meet our supplier standards, labor problems experienced by our suppliers, the availability of raw materials to suppliers, merchandise quality issues, currency exchange rates, transport availability and cost, transport security, inflation, and other factors relating to the suppliers and the countries in which they are located are beyond our control. In addition, the United States’ foreign trade policies, tariffs and other impositions on imported goods, trade sanctions imposed on certain countries, the limitation on the importation of certain types of goods or of goods containing certain materials from other countries and other factors relating to foreign trade are beyond our control. These and other factors affecting our suppliers and our access to products could adversely affect our financial performance.
Our customers count on us to provide them with safe products. Concerns regarding the safety of food and non-food products that we source from our suppliers and then sell could cause shoppers to avoid purchasing certain products from us, or to seek alternative sources of supply for all of their food and non-food needs, even if the basis for the concern is outside of our control. Any lost confidence on the part of our customers would be difficult and costly to reestablish. As such, any issue regarding the safety of any food and non-food items we sell, regardless of the cause, could adversely affect our financial performance.
Our International operations subject us to risks associated with the legislative, judicial, accounting, regulatory, political and economic risks and conditions specific to the countries or regions in which we operate, which could adversely affect our financial performance.
We currently conduct operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom, as well as through joint venture agreements in China and India and our other controlled subsidiaries in China. During fiscal 2010, our International operations generated 24.7% of our net sales. As a result of our expansion activities in foreign countries, we expect that our International operations could account for a larger portion of our net sales in future years. Our future operating results in these countries or in other countries or regions throughout the world could be negatively affected by a variety of factors, most of which are beyond our control. These factors include political conditions, including political instability, economic conditions, legal and regulatory constraints, trade policies, both of the United States and of the other countries in which we operate, currency regulations, and other matters in any of the countries or regions in which we operate, now or in the future. Foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations may have an impact on our future costs or on future cash flows from our International operations, and could adversely affect our financial performance.
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Moreover, the economies of some of the countries in which we have operations have in the past suffered from high rates of inflation and currency devaluations, which, if they occurred again, could adversely affect our financial performance. Other factors which may impact our International operations include foreign trade, monetary and fiscal policies both of the United States and of other countries, laws, regulations and other activities of foreign governments, agencies and similar organizations, and risks associated with having numerous facilities located in countries which have historically been less stable than the United States. Additional risks inherent in our International operations generally include, among others, the costs and difficulties of managing international operations, adverse tax consequences and greater difficulty in enforcing intellectual property rights in countries other than the United States. The various risks inherent in doing business in the United States generally also exist when doing business outside of the United States, and may be exaggerated by the difficulty of doing business in numerous sovereign jurisdictions due to differences in culture, laws and regulations.
Natural disasters and geo-political events could adversely affect our financial performance.
The occurrence of one or more natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes, other weather conditions, whether as a result of climate change or otherwise, such as major winter storms, droughts and tornados, and geo-political events, such as civil unrest in a country in which we operate or in which our suppliers are located or terrorist attacks, both internationally and domestically, could adversely affect our operations and financial performance. Such events could result in physical damage to one or more of our properties, the closure of one or more stores, clubs and distribution centers, the lack of an adequate work force in a market, the temporary or long-term disruption in the supply of products from some local and overseas suppliers, the disruption in the transport of goods from overseas, the disruption or delay in the delivery of goods to our distribution centers or stores within a country in which we are operating, the reduction in the availability of products in our stores, the disruption of utility services to our stores and our facilities, and disruption in our communications with our stores. These factors could otherwise disrupt and adversely affect our operations and financial performance.
The significant property damage experienced by the company and others resulting from the hurricanes in fiscal year 2006 resulted in substantial increases in property insurance premiums and limitations in coverage offered by the property insurance markets to us and others. The insurance coverage offered to the company for named windstorms, such as hurricanes and tropical storms, was substantially more limited and carried higher premiums than the coverage previously available to us. As a result, the company has chosen to be primarily self-insured for losses that may result from named windstorms.
We are subject to certain legal proceedings that may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
We are involved in a number of legal proceedings, which include consumer, employment, tort and other litigation. Certain of these lawsuits, if decided adversely to us or settled by us, may result in liability material to our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. We are currently a defendant in numerous cases containing class-action allegations in which the plaintiffs have brought claims under federal and state wage and hour laws. In addition, we are a defendant in Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of all past and present female employees in all of our retail stores and wholesale clubs in the United States. The class as certified in Dukes currently includes present and former female associates. The plaintiffs in this case allege that we have engaged in a pattern and practice of discriminating against women in promotions, pay, training and job assignments and seek, among other things, injunctive relief, front pay, back pay, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. On June 4, 2004, the U.S. district court hearing this case issued an order granting in part and denying in part the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification, which we have appealed. On February 6, 2007, a divided three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the district court’s ruling. On February 20, 2007, the company filed a petition asking that the decision be reconsidered by a larger panel of the Court of Appeals. On November 11, 2007, the three-judge panel withdrew its opinion of February 6, 2007, and issued a revised opinion. As a result, the company’s Petition for Rehearing En Banc was denied as moot. The company filed a new Petition for Rehearing En Banc on January 8, 2008. On February 13, 2009, the court of appeals issued an Order granting the Petition. The court of appeals heard oral argument on the Petition on March 24, 2009. We discuss these cases and other litigation to which we are party in greater detail below under the caption “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” and in Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements, which are part of our Annual Report to Shareholders which are incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are included as an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
If we do not maintain the security of customer-related information, we could damage our reputation with customers, incur substantial additional costs and become subject to litigation.
As do most retailers, we receive certain personal information about our customers. In addition, our online operations atwww.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com depend upon the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks, including information permitting cashless payments. A compromise of our security systems that results in customer personal information being obtained by unauthorized persons could adversely affect our reputation with our customers and others, as well as our operations, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and could result in
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litigation against us or the imposition of penalties. In addition, a security breach could require that we expend significant additional resources related to our information security systems and could result in a disruption of our operations, particularly our online sales operations.
We rely extensively on computer systems to process transactions, summarize results and manage our business. Disruptions in both our primary and secondary (back-up) systems could harm our ability to run our business. Implementation of a new financial system in fiscal year 2011, if not properly completed, could make financial information unavailable on a timely basis and delay our financial reporting.
Although we have independent, redundant and physically separate primary and secondary computer systems, given the number of individual transactions we have each year, it is critical that we maintain uninterrupted operation of our business critical computer systems. Our computer systems, including our back-up systems, are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches, catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, and usage errors by our employees. If our computer systems and our back-up systems are damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make a significant investment to fix or replace them, and we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim. Any material interruption in both of our computer systems and back-up systems may have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. In addition, we are pursuing complex initiatives to transform our information technology processes and systems, which will include, for many of our computer systems, establishing common processes across our lines of business. The risk of system disruption is increased when significant system changes are undertaken, although we believe that our change management process will mitigate this risk. If we fail to integrate our computer systems and processes we may fail to realize the cost savings anticipated to be derived from these initiatives.
In the second quarter of fiscal 2011, we expect to implement a new financial system in our U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico operations. The implementation of this new financial system relates to the largest portion of our business and will be a significant component of our internal controls over financial reporting. If the new financial system does not function properly upon implementation, we may be unable to produce information as needed to manage our business most efficiently or to accumulate and report financial information on a timely basis.
We may not timely identify or effectively respond to consumer trends, which could negatively affect our relationship with our customers, the demand for our products and services, and our market share.
It is difficult to predict consistently and successfully the products and services our customers will demand. The success of our business depends in part on our ability to identify and respond to evolving trends in demographics and consumer preferences. Failure to timely identify or effectively respond to changing consumer tastes, preferences and spending patterns could negatively affect our relationship with our customers, the demand for our products and services and our market share.
Not applicable.
The number of discount stores, supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Clubs located in each state in the United States and the number of units located in each of the countries in which we operate are disclosed as of fiscal year-end January 31, 2010 in our Annual Report to Shareholders under the caption “Fiscal 2010 End-of-Year Store Count” and are incorporated herein by reference. Portions of such Annual Report to Shareholders are included as an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
United States. As of January 31, 2010, in the United States, we owned 3,214 of the buildings in which discount stores, supercenters and Neighborhood Markets operated and 483 of the buildings in which our Sam’s Clubs operated. Land on which our stores are located is either owned or leased by the company. In the United States, we lease the remaining buildings in which our stores and clubs operate from either commercial property developers pursuant to capital or operating lease arrangements or from local governmental entities in connection with industrial revenue bond financing arrangements. All store leases provide for annual rentals, some of which escalate during the original lease term. In some cases, the leases provide for additional rent based on sales volume. Substantially all of the company’s store and club leases have renewal options, some of which include escalation clauses causing an increase in rents.
We use independent contractors to construct our buildings.
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Our 120 Walmart U.S. and 26 Sam’s Club distribution centers are located strategically throughout the continental United States. Of these 146 distribution facilities, we owned and operated 113 distribution facilities and third parties owned and operated the remaining 33 distribution facilities.
We own office facilities in Bentonville, Arkansas that serve as our home office and lease office facilities throughout the United States for our walmart.com operations and field management.
International. We operate our International segment stores and restaurants in a combination of owned and leased properties in each country in which our International segment operates. As of the end of fiscal 2010, we owned 33 properties in Argentina, 161 properties in Brazil, 117 properties in Canada, 125 properties in Chile, 1 property in China, 69 properties in Costa Rica, 9 properties in El Salvador, 14 properties in Guatemala, 7 properties in Honduras, 52 properties in Japan, 530 properties in Mexico, 25 properties in Nicaragua, 11 properties in Puerto Rico and 239 properties in the United Kingdom. The remaining operating units in each such country are leased on terms that vary from property to property. We utilize both owned and leased properties for office facilities in each country in which we are conducting business. As of the end of fiscal 2010, our International operations are supported by 132 distribution facilities. Of these 132 distribution facilities, we owned and operated 34 and leased and operated 37. Third parties owned and operated the remaining 61 distribution facilities.
For further information on our distribution centers, see the caption “Distribution” provided for each of our segments under “Item 1. Business.”
I. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: We discuss certain legal proceedings pending against us in Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements, which is captioned “Legal Proceedings,” and refer you to that discussion for important information concerning those legal proceedings, including the basis for such actions and, where known, the relief sought. Our Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto are included in our Annual Report to Shareholders. Portions of our Annual Report to Shareholders are an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and are incorporated herein by reference. We provide the following additional information concerning those legal proceedings which sets forth the name of the lawsuit, the court in which the lawsuit is pending, the date on which the petition commencing the lawsuit was filed and certain other information. In each lawsuit’s name, the letters “WM” refer to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wage-and-Hour Class Actions: Braun/Hummel v. WM, Ct. of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, PA, 3/20/02 & 8/30/04; Bryan v. WM, Superior Ct. of CA, Alameda County, 10/9/08; Gellhaus v. WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of TX, 7/21/09; Moore v. WM, USDC, Dist. of OR, 12/7/05 (settled subject to court approval); Klink v. WM, USDC, Dist. of OR, 2/26/09(settled subject to court approval); Smith/Ballard v. WM, USDC, Northern Dist. of CA, 3/16/06 (settled subject to court approval).
Exempt Status Cases: Salvador v. WM and Sam’s West, Inc., USDC, Central Dist. of CA, Western Div., 12/22/05; Sepulveda v. WM, USDC, Central Dist. of CA, Western Div., 1/14/04; Zinman v. WM, USDC, Northern Dist. of CA, 05/08/09; Bramble and Lynch v. WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of PA, 10/27/09; Bramble v. WM, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, PA; Lynch v. WM, Superior Ct., Plymouth County, MA, 10/27/09.
Gender Discrimination Cases: Dukes v. WM, USDC, Northern Dist. of CA, San Francisco Div., 6/19/01; 9th Circuit Ct. of Appeals, San Francisco, CA, 8/26/04; EEOC (Smith) v. WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of KY, London Div., 8/24/01 (settled).
II. ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS:Item 103 of SEC Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters. The following matters are disclosed in accordance with that requirement:
The District Attorney for Solano County, California, has alleged that the company’s store in Vacaville, California, failed to comply with certain California statutes regulating hazardous waste and hazardous materials handling practices. Specifically, the County is alleging that the company improperly disposed of a limited amount of damaged or returned product containing dry granular fertilizer and pesticides on or about April 3, 2002. The parties are currently negotiating toward a resolution of this matter. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
The District Attorney for Orange County, California, has alleged that the company’s store in Foothill Ranch, California, failed to comply with certain California statutes regulating hazardous waste and hazardous materials handling practices. Specifically, the County is alleging that the company improperly disposed of a limited amount of damaged product
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containing dry granular pesticide on or about January 24, 2005. The parties are currently negotiating toward a resolution of this matter. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) approached a grocery industry group to resolve issues relating to refrigerant-handling practices and to reduce the use of ozone-depleting refrigerants in refrigeration equipment. The company then approached the EPA independently to address these issues, and proposed a plan for removing ozone-depleting refrigerants from certain types of refrigeration equipment. The parties are currently negotiating a resolution of this matter. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
In January 2007, Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc. became aware that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the “USACE”) was concerned about alleged violations of a permit issued by that agency in 2003, for the fill of 0.23 acres of a creek and its contiguous wetlands during the construction of the Wal-Mart Store in Caguas, Puerto Rico. On January 19, 2007, Wal-Mart Puerto Rico responded to these issues in writing. On January 25, 2007, the USACE issued a formal Notice of Non-Compliance to Wal-Mart Puerto Rico regarding this matter. Wal-Mart Puerto Rico filed a formal response and is currently implementing mitigation measures and working with the USACE to resolve the matter. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
On November 8, 2005, the company received a grand jury subpoena from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, seeking documents and information relating to the company’s receipt, transportation, handling, identification, recycling, treatment, storage and disposal of certain merchandise that constitutes hazardous materials or hazardous waste. The company has been informed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California that it is a target of a criminal investigation into potential violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), the Clean Water Act and the Hazardous Materials Transportation Statute. This U.S. Attorney’s Office contends, among other things, that the use of company trucks to transport certain returned merchandise from the company’s stores to its return centers is prohibited by RCRA because those materials may be considered hazardous waste. The government alleges that, to comply with RCRA, the company must ship from the store certain materials as “hazardous waste” directly to a certified disposal facility using a certified hazardous waste carrier. The company contends that the practice of transporting returned merchandise to its return centers for subsequent disposition, including disposal by certified facilities, is compliant with applicable laws and regulations. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California has initiated its own investigation regarding the company’s handling of hazardous materials and hazardous waste and the company has received administrative document requests from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control requesting documents and information with respect to two of the company’s distribution facilities. Further, the company also received a subpoena from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for documents and administrative interrogatories requesting information, among other things, regarding the company’s handling of materials and hazardous waste. California state and local government authorities have also initiated investigations into these matters. The company is cooperating fully with the respective authorities. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
On March 28, 2008, the company received a Notice of Violation from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (the “Department”) alleging various violations of Missouri hazardous waste laws and regulations in connection with the activities of a third-party contractor with whom the company had contracted for recycling services. The Department alleges that the company provided certain items to the contractor for recycling that should have been managed as hazardous waste. The EPA has inspected the contractor’s facilities, and both the EPA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri are conducting investigations. The company has submitted a response to the Notice of Violation and is cooperating with these authorities. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
On August 19, 2009, the Office of the District Attorney for Riverside County, California, notified the company that it has instituted an investigation into whether violations of California laws regarding underground storage tanks occurred at two Sam’s Club stations. The company is cooperating with the County’s investigation. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
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On November 6, 2009, the California South Coast Air Quality Management District (“SCAQMD”) notified the company that it has instituted an investigation into whether Wal-Mart stores located in the 4-county SCAQMD jurisdiction sold paints and other coatings that contained volatile organic compounds in excess of SCAQMD limits. The company and the SCAQMD have entered into a settlement agreement pursuant to which the company will pay $850,000 in civil penalties and $150,000 in investigation costs, and will contribute $950,000 to a fund for the benefit of the residents of the SCAQMD.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
The following chart names each of the executive officers of the company, each of whom is elected by and serves at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The business experience shown for each officer has been his or her principal occupation for at least the past five years.
Name
Business Experience
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PART II
Certain information required to be provided in this item is incorporated herein by reference to the information included under the captions “Market price of common stock,” “Listing” and “Dividends paid per share” in our Annual Report to Shareholders. Such information is included in an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our common stock is principally traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange. At March 26, 2010, the latest practicable date, there were 292,983 common stock shareholders of record.
From time to time, we have repurchased shares of our common stock under a $15.0 billion share repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors on June 4, 2009 and announced on June 5, 2009, which replaced and terminated a $15.0 billion share repurchase program approved by our Board of Directors on May 31, 2007 and announced on June 1, 2007. As was the case with the replaced share repurchase program, the new program has no expiration date or other restrictions limiting the period over which we can make our share repurchases, and will expire only when and if we have repurchased $15.0 billion of our shares under the program or we terminate or replace the program. Any repurchased shares are constructively retired and returned to unissued status. We consider several factors in determining when to execute the share repurchases, including among other things, our current cash needs, our capacity for leverage, our cost of borrowings and the market price of our common stock. As of January 31, 2010, the program had approximately $9.2 billion of remaining authorization for share repurchases.
Share repurchase activity under our share repurchase program was as follows during our quarter ended January 31, 2010:
Fiscal Period
Nov 1-30, 2009
Dec 1-31, 2009
Jan 1-31, 2010
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to all information under the caption “Five-Year Financial Summary” included in our Annual Report to Shareholders. Such information is included in an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to all information under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in our Annual Report to Shareholders. Such information is included in an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to all information under the sub-caption “Market Risk” under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in our Annual Report to Shareholders. Such information is included in an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to all information under the captions “Consolidated Statements of Income,” “Consolidated Balance Sheets,” “Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity,” “Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows,” “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” and “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” included in our Annual Report to Shareholders. Such information is included in an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
None.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information, which is required to be timely disclosed, is accumulated and communicated to management in a timely fashion. In designing and evaluating such controls and procedures, we recognize that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. Our management is necessarily required to use judgment in evaluating controls and procedures. Also, we may have investments in certain unconsolidated entities. Since we do not control or manage those entities, our controls and procedures with respect to those entities are substantially more limited than those we maintain with respect to our consolidated subsidiaries.
In the ordinary course of business, we review our system of internal control over financial reporting and make changes to our systems and processes to improve such controls and increase efficiency, while ensuring that we maintain an effective internal control environment. Changes may include such activities as implementing new, more efficient systems and automating manual processes. In the second quarter of fiscal 2010, we began implementing a new financial system in stages. As part of the first stage, we implemented this financial system in ASDA, our United Kingdom subsidiary. The second stage, implementing the financial system in the U.S. and our subsidiaries in Canada and Puerto Rico, which is the largest portion of our business, is planned to occur in the second quarter of fiscal 2011. This new financial system is a significant component of our internal control over financial reporting. We will continue to implement our new financial system in stages, and each implementation may become a significant component of our internal control over financial reporting.
An evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures was performed as of the end of the period covered by this report. This evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and are effective to provide reasonable assurance that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the SEC’s rules and forms.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting and the attestation report of Ernst & Young LLP, the company’s independent registered public accounting firm, on the company’s internal control over financial reporting are included in our Annual Report to Shareholders, and are incorporated into this Item 9A by reference. Portions of our Annual Report to Shareholders are included as an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in the company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2010, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the company’s internal control over financial reporting.
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PART III
Information required by this item with respect to the company’s directors, certain family relationships, and compliance by the company’s directors, executive officers and certain beneficial owners of the company’s common stock with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is incorporated by reference to such information under the captions entitled “Information About the Board” and “Stock Ownership—Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” from our Proxy Statement relating to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 4, 2010 (our “Proxy Statement”).
Please see the information concerning our executive officers contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the caption “Executive Officers of the Registrant” which is included there in accordance with Instruction 3 to Item 401(b) of the SEC’s Regulation S-K.
No material changes have been made to the procedures by which shareholders of the company may recommend nominees to our board of directors since those procedures were disclosed in our proxy statement relating to our 2009 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting as previously filed with the SEC.
The information regarding our Audit Committee, including our audit committee financial experts, and our Codes of Ethics for senior financial officers and other associates required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the information under the captions “Information About the Board—Board Committees,” “Corporate Governance—Audit Committee Financial Experts” and “Corporate Governance—Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers” included in our Proxy Statement. “Item 1. Business,” above contains information relating to the availability of a copy of our Code of Ethics for our CEO and Senior Financial Officers and our Statement of Ethics on our website.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to all information under the captions “Information About the Board – Compensation of the Directors,” “Executive Compensation” and under the sub-captions “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” and “Compensation Committee Report” that appear under the caption “Corporate Governance” included in our Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to all information under the sub-captions “Holdings of Major Shareholders” and “Holdings of Officers and Directors” that appear under the caption “Stock Ownership” and all information that appears under the caption “Equity Compensation Plan Information” included in our Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to all information under the caption “Related-Party Transactions,” under the caption “Corporate Governance – Transaction Review Policy” and under the caption “Information About the Board—Director Independence” included in our Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to all information under the caption “Corporate Governance—Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy” and under the caption “Company Proposals— Proposal No. 2: Ratification of Independent Accountants” included in our Proxy Statement.
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PART IV
(a) (1) and (2) Consolidated Financial Statements
The financial statements listed in the following table, which are included in our Annual Report to Shareholders, are incorporated herein by reference to the portions of this Annual Report on Form 10-K filed as Exhibit 13 hereto.
Consolidated Statements of Income for each of the three years in the period ended January 31, 2010
Consolidated Balance Sheets at January 31, 2010 and 2009
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for each of the three years in the period ended January 31, 2010
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for each of the three years in the period ended January 31, 2010
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management’s Report to Our Shareholders
All schedules have been omitted because the required information is not present or is not present in amounts sufficient to require submission of the schedule, or because the information required is included in the financial statements, including the notes thereto.
(3) Exhibits
The following documents are filed as exhibits to this Form 10-K:
3(a)
3(b)
4(a)
4(b)
4(c)
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4(d)
4(e)
4(f)
4(g)
4(h)
4(i)
4(j)
*10(a)
+10(b)
+10(c)
+10(d)
*10(e)
*10(f)
+10(g)
+10(h)
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
/s/ Michael T. Duke
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
Michael T. Duke
President and Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ S. Robson Walton
S. Robson Walton
Chairman of the Board and Director
/s/ Thomas M. Schoewe
Thomas M. Schoewe
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
/s/ Steven P. Whaley
Steven P. Whaley
Senior Vice President and Controller
(Principal Accounting Officer)
/s/ Aida M. Alvarez
Aida M. Alvarez
Director
/s/ James W. Breyer
James W. Breyer
/s/ M. Michele Burns
M. Michele Burns
/s/ James I. Cash, Jr.
James I. Cash, Jr.
Signature Page to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Form 10-K for Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2010
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/s/ Roger C. Corbett
/s/ Gregory B. Penner
/s/ Allen I. Questrom
/s/ H. Lee Scott, Jr.
Chairman of the Executive
Committee of the Board
and Director
/s/ Arne M. Sorenson
/s/ Jim C. Walton
/s/ Christopher J. Williams
/s/ Linda S. Wolf
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