2000s
New Millennium
2000
H. Lee Scott becomes the next CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
2001
Walmart establishes the Associate in Critical Need Trust (ACNT) to help associates who are experiencing financial hardship.
2001
After the tragic events of 9/11, Walmart's Together We Stand effort provides more than $15 million to relief organizations.
2001
Hispanic Business magazine places Walmart in its Top 25 Diversity Recruitment Programs category for the company’s sterling record of hiring and promoting Latinos.
2001
Walmart's 1,000th Supercenter opens in St. Robert, Missouri.
2001
Walmart Aviation adds a Global Express jet to its fleet, which enhances its international travel capabilities.
2002
Walmart is the first service company to take the number-one spot on the Fortune 500 ranking of America’s largest companies.
2002
Walmart receives the 2002 Ron Brown Award, recognizing outstanding achievement in employee relations and community initiatives.
2002
Walmart begins to exchange data over the Internet with thousands of its global suppliers.
“Competition is the best medicine for us.”
Sam Walton
2002
Operations in Japan begin with an investment in Seiyu. Walmart increases its investment in December to become the majority owner.
2003
Fortune magazine ranks Walmart number one on its Most Admired Companies list.
2003
Walmart Mexico Foundation is established.
2003
Walmart builds a second data center in Missouri, ensuring system redundancy and server availability in the event of a disaster.
2003
Walmart acquires 31 Supermercados Amigo in Puerto Rico.
2004
Walmart expands in northern Brazil with the purchase of 118 Bompreço stores.
2004
Walmart and its customers contribute $14.5 million to help build the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
2004
The first ASDA Living Store opens in Walsall, West Midlands, UK.
2004
Walmart receives American Veteran magazine's Corporate Patriotism Award, which recognizes the company's significant philanthropic support of U.S. military service members and their families.
“Behave as a servant leader.”
Sam Walton
“What makes ordinary people do extraordinary things? Aren't we a group of ordinary folks? We really are. I don't think there is anybody in this house that has extraordinary qualities that are higher on the scale than most folks in this company. But we've become a team. And I think we, together as a team, have done extraordinary things. I think that’s the reason that it has occurred. We've all grown, we’ve all accomplished much more than any of us ever thought that we could.”
Sam Walton
2004
Walmart tests Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). RFID is added to Universal Product Code (UPC) barcodes for product identification and tracking.
2005
Walmart contributes $18 million and 2,450 truckloads of supplies to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
2005
Walmart's sustainability commitment intensifies after the company leads the nationwide corporate drive to assist with hurricane relief efforts.
2005
Walmart launches Acres for America, which conserves critical wildlife habitats.
Smart Shopper
Reusable tote bags are just one way to reduce waste. Each Walmart reusable shopping bag, made of recycled plastic bottles, keeps three to four plastic bags out of a landfill.
2005
In an enthusiastically received speech, Walmart's CEO, Lee Scott, announces the company's sustainability goals: create zero waste, use only renewable energy, and sell products that sustain the environment.
2005
Walmart Brazil Foundation is established.
2005
Walmart joins with Unilever in introducing super-concentrated liquid laundry soap in small containers, saving 65 million pounds of plastic and cardboard packaging material and 140 million gallons of water every year.
Sam visited a tennis ball factory in Korea, where the workers did a cheer together every morning.
2005
In one year, the U.S. Walmart aviation fleet flies a record 8,194 flight legs. Destinations include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the UK.
2005
Walmart acquires 140 Sonae stores in the south of Brazil.
2005
Walmart purchases an interest in Central American Retail Holding Company (CARHCO). The company now operates stores in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
2005
ASDA enters the Northern Ireland market.
2005
The company has more than 1.6 million associates working in 6,141 facilities around the world and serving more than 138 million worldwide customers a week.
2006
Walmart introduces its $4 generic-drug prescription program, which changes the face of pharmaceutical retailing and makes health care more affordable and accessible.
2006
Through the Walmart Foundation, Walmart, its customers, and associates contribute more than $415 million in cash and make in-kind donations to more than 100,000 organizations around the world.
2006
Walmart receives the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Gaye Cypert Power of a Promise Award for supporting breast-cancer research.
2006
In an ambitious campaign, Walmart sells over 137 million compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use 75 percent less energy than incandescents.
2006
Walmart becomes the majority shareholder in CARHCO and renames the company Walmart Central America.
2006
Operations close in South Korea and Germany.
2006
Walmart now serves more than 176 million customers each week at 6,779 locations around the world. Record-setting net sales reach $345 billion.
2007
Walmart receives the Evangeline Booth Award for Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy, the Fisher House Patriot Award, and the Boys & Girls Club Chairman's Award.
2007
Helen Walton, matriarch of the Walmart family and the "first lady of Walmart," passes away on April 19, 2007.
2007
The Story of the Walmart Spark
View Exhibit2007
Walmart expands its $4 generic-drug program, saving customers millions of dollars.
2007
Walmart purchases a 35-percent interest in Bounteous Company Ltd., which operates hypermarkets under the Trust-Mart banner in China.
Little Known Sparks
What dance did Sam do on Wall Street when Walmart reached its profit goal in 1983?
Sam danced the hula when Walmart reached its goal.
2007
Walmart announces its entry into India.
2007
Walmart launches a solar-power pilot program in Walmart stores, Sam's Clubs, and distribution centers in Hawaii and California (22 locations in all).
2007
Walmart launches its Site to Store service, enabling online customers to pick up merchandise in stores.
2007
Lee Scott: What I've Learned
Play Video2008
Lee Scott hosts Walmart's first China Sustainability Summit in Beijing, China.
2008
Mike Duke is appointed to succeed Lee Scott as CEO.
2008–Today
In 2008, Walmart underwent the most significant logo change to date, introducing a new font and the iconic spark.
“At Wal-Mart, one man or one woman can affect the future. I worry about keeping our culture, keeping the things we believe in. Our future lies in our associates. If we can instill in them the feeling that they're out there to serve, we can keep the company right-side-up.”
Sam Walton
2008
Walmart opens the first of four second-generation, high-efficiency prototype stores, which are estimated to use 25 percent less energy than the baseline Walmart Supercenter.
Little Known Sparks
In 1945, Sam opened his first Ben Franklin store in which Arkansas town?
Sam opened his first Ben Franklin store in Newport, Arkansas.
2008
Seiyu becomes a wholly owned Walmart subsidiary in June.
2008
Walmart commits to reducing its global plastic shopping-bag waste by an average of 33 percent per store by 2013.
2008
The new Walmart logo is launched. Walmart begins a major store-remodeling program, introducing a fresh, new branded look.
2008
Walmart Brazil and Conservation International sign an agreement to fund protection and sustainable management of more than a million acres of forest in the Brazilian Amazon.
2008
Walmart U.S. commits to purchasing enough renewable wind power in Texas to equal the annual electricity used by more than 20,000 average American homes.
2008
Walmart announces nearly $1 billion in bonuses for full- and part-time hourly workers and an additional $780 million in profit-sharing and 401(k) contributions.
2009
Most associates aren't allowed to nap on the job, but Maverick was even provided a bed. This handsome and sociable safety dog was a favorite around the Home Office until he retired in 2010.
2009
Walmart announces it will test two new heavy-duty commercial hybrid truck models and two alternatively fueled heavy-duty trucks as part of the company’s efforts to build a more sustainable truck fleet.
2009
Walmart Transportation announces that it has surpassed its goal to improve fleet efficiency.
“Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free—and worth a fortune”
Sam Walton
2009
Walmart launches its Facebook page as it begins using social media to connect with customers around the globe. By 2016, over 32 million shoppers had signed up to follow Walmart's posts.
Waste Reduction
Walmart recycles broken, discarded hangers into new ones. In 2009, the partnership between Walmart/Wellmark/Technimark recycled more than 3 million pounds of plastic waste. The effort saves Walmart millions of dollars, promotes environmental sustainability, and advances the company's goal to create zero waste.
2009
The company announces plans to develop a worldwide sustainability index for every product Walmart sells, measuring water use, greenhouse-gas emissions, and fair-labor practices.
2009
Diversity MBA magazine ranks Walmart number two on its 2009 list of 50 Out Front Companies for Diversity Leadership: Best Places for Diverse Managers to Work.
2009
Walmart-owned Best Price Modern Wholesale, a cash-and-carry facility, opens in India.
2009
Walmart enters Chile with the acquisition of a majority stake in Distribución y Servicio D&S S.A.
2009
In December 2009, Walmart Mexico acquires Walmart's operations in Central America.
2009
Walmart completes the company's largest solar-power project at its distribution center in Apple Valley, California.
