2010s
New Commitments
2010
Jack Shewmaker, champion for Every Day Low Prices and Walmart's adoption of new technologies, passes away.
2010
Walmart ranks number one on the Fortune 500 list for the fifth time since 2002.
2010
Feeding America magazine names Walmart and Sam’s Club Donor of the Year 2010. Walmart and Sam’s Club are the first Feeding America donors to give away more than 100 million pounds of food in one calendar year.
2010
Walmart commits $2 billion to help end hunger in the United States through its "Fighting Hunger Together" initiative.
2010
Walmart launches a global commitment to sustainable agriculture. The company helps small farmers to reduce the impact of farming on the environment and to expand their businesses, thereby strengthening local economies.
2011
Walmart experiments with small-format stores, opening the first Walmart Express in Arkansas.
2011
@WalmartLabs is formed to develop technology to assist Walmart in serving customers.
2011
Walmart launches the Global Women's Economic Empowerment Initiative to use the company's global scale to help empower women across its supply chain.
2011
Walmart expands its business into South Africa by acquiring 51 percent of Massmart Holdings Limited.
“Capital isn't scarce; vision is.”
Sam Walton
2011
The first Walmart on Campus is opened at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
The Walmart Oral History Project
View Exhibit
Walmart celebrates its 50th anniversary.
2012
Rosalind Brewer becomes CEO of Sam's Club. She is the first woman and the first African American to lead a Walmart business unit.
Duane Naccarato On Attention to Detail
Divisional Vice President, Store Planning and Supercenters - Retired
Play Video
Artist Brendan O’Connell gains international notoriety and media attention for his series of paintings depicting Walmart store interiors, and the brands that fill Walmart shelves. This O’Connell piece, "The Art of Retail" hangs in The Walmart Museum.
2013
In January, Walmart announces it will hire any honorably discharged veteran within his or her first 12 months off active duty beginning on Memorial Day. Walmart projects hiring over 100,000 veterans in the next five years.
2013
Walmart acquires Bharti Walmart Private Limited, including the Best Price Modern Wholesale cash-and-carry business in India.
Jack Kahl On What Sam Said About Duct Tape
Former President, Manco, Inc.
Play Video“When customers thought of Walmart, they should think of low prices and satisfaction guaranteed ... They wouldn't find it cheaper anywhere else, and if they didn't like it, they could bring it back.”
Sam Walton
2013
Walmart opens its first stores in the District of Columbia.
Lee Scott On Disaster Relief
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video2013
Walmart commits to buying $250 billion in goods manufactured in the United States over the next 10 years.
Claude Harris On Starting the Buying Department
Senior Vice President, Market Research, Retired
Play Video
Becky Elliott Watching Sam with His Grandkids
Former Personal Assistant to Sam Walton and People Director, Finance Division, Retired
Play Video“There's absolutely no limit to what plain, ordinary working people can accomplish if they're given the opportunity, encouragement, and incentive to do their best.”
Sam Walton
2014
Doug McMillon succeeds Mike Duke as President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
2014
Walmart introduces the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience, a state-of-the-art tractor-trailer developed in support of the company's vision for a more sustainable world.
Bobby Martin On Sam and Teaching
CEO - Walmart International, Retired
Play VideoEvery Day Low Prices. It's how Walmart prices items it sells all over the world: low prices every day, on every product.
By the Numbers
By the end of 2014 fiscal year, the company has a total of 10,942 stores, including 4,203 Walmarts and 632 Sam's Clubs in the United States and 6,107 international stores. The company employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. Annual sales are $473 billion.
Ron Loveless On Sam and Motivation
CEO, Sam's Club, Retired
Play Video
Ron Loveless On Walmart's Ethics
CEO, Sam's Club, Retired
Play Video
Russ Robertson On Respect for the Individual
VP Career Development, Retired
Play Video
Rollin Ford On Low Prices
CIO, Retired
Play Video
Rollin Ford On Family
CIO, Retired
Play Video
2015
The Walmart Spark represents the spark of inspiration Sam felt when he first founded Walmart. It's that same inspiration our associates and our customers feel when we save people money so they can live better.
Walmart's Stock Performance
The first offering, on October 1, 1970, was $16.50 per share. Since then, Walmart stock has split two-for-one eleven times. That means a person who bought 100 shares for $1,650 in 1970 would, in 2015, have 204,800 shares, worth more than $17 million.
“I guess everybody who knew I was going ahead with the discounting idea on my own really did think I'd completely lost my mind.”
Sam Walton
2015
Walmart U.S. launches Grocery Pickup after successful testing in several markets in the United States.
2015
In early 2015, past and current leaders posed at The Walmart Museum for a historic photo in CEO #1 Sam Walton’s office. Pictured here are, from left to right: CEO #2 David Glass, CEO #3 Lee Scott, Chairman of the Board Rob Walton, CEO #4 Mike Duke, and current CEO Doug McMillon.
2015
Doug McMillon holds Sam's name badge. Shortly after this photo was taken, Walmart showed its commitment to its people by pledging $1 billion to raise the company's starting wage.
“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.”
Sam Walton
2015
The Walmart Museum opens an interview studio and names it in honor of Ferold Arend. The studio was created to capture oral histories that tell the Walmart story.
Peggy Hamilton On Sam and Values
Manager, The Walmart Museum
Play Video2015
Walmart sponsors the inaugural Bentonville Film Festival, which champions women and diverse voices in media.
2015
30 Years of The Walmart Museum
View Exhibit2015
The Walmart Museum launches WalmartMuseum.com with the purpose of globally sharing the Walmart heritage and the stories behind the company’s history.
“Our major aim and concern must constantly be to do a better job satisfying our customers, both with service and selection and assortment of merchandise.”
Sam Walton
2015
Sam Walton's iconic ball cap is installed and featured in the Smithsonian's permanent "American Enterprise" exhibit at the National Museum of American History.
By the Numbers
By 2015, the company has a total of 11,453 stores, including 4,516 Walmarts and 647 Sam’s Clubs in the United States and 6,290 international stores. The company employs 2.2 million associates worldwide.
Fritz Steiger On Walmart's Success
First Director, The Walmart Foundation
Play Video2015
Walmart enters Kenya with a Game store in Nairobi.
“In our story, the hero is you—our associates. We aren't more powerful than a locomotive or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound … We do have superpowers, though, and they are real. They're our passion, our commitment to our customers, our caring for one another. Really, our superpowers are those that help us make someone's day better, their life better.”
Doug McMillon
2015
Greg Penner succeeds Rob Walton as Chairman of the Board of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Glenn Habern On the P and L
CIO, Retired
Play Video
Coleman Peterson On International Expansion
EVP, People Division, Retired
Play Video
Ron Loveless On Manager Training
CEO, Sam's Club, Retired
Play Video2015
On October 11, Walmart's first president Ferold Arend passes away. The community remembers him and his many contributions.
2015
Greenlight A Vet, a Walmart-led campaign to establish visible national support for our veterans by changing one light to green, is launched.
“Our company has made major strides since we embarked on this journey, and our focus for the next decade will remain the same: doing the right thing for our customers, our communities, people working in the supply chain and the planet. Our approach to global responsibility not only makes sense for the environment, but it’s also good for our customers, and our business.”
Doug McMillon
Sam Dunn On Change
SVP of Strategy and Business Planning, Retired
Play Video2016
Walmart opens its Culinary & Innovation Center in Bentonville to develop and test new and innovative products.
2016
Jim Walton retires from the Walmart Board of Directors; his son, Steuart, takes his place as the next generation Walton family member to serve on the board.
2016
Walmart Radio, originally on the air from the early 1990s until 2010, returns to Walmart stores. The DJs for the station are found after a nationwide search of store associates.
Nick White On Satellites
EVP, Supercenter Division General Manager, Retired
Play Video
Rob Voss On the Productivity Loop
EVP, Merchandise, Sam's Club, Retired
Play Video“Personal, moral integrity is one of our basic fundamentals and it has to start with each of us.”
Sam Walton
2016
Smiley returns to Walmart stores as an icon of low prices. Originally developed as a kid-friendly sticker in 1989, Smiley starred in advertising between 1996 and 2006.
2016
Walmart Pay, a fast, easy, and secure way for customers to make purchases with their smart phones, becomes a popular in-store payment method.
Nick White On EDLP
EVP, Supercenter Division General Manager, Retired
Play Video2016
Don Soderquist, former COO, corporate Vice Chairman, and Walmart's "Keeper of the Culture," passes away on July 21. Thousands mourn.
Ed Nagy On People
SVP Operations, Retired
Play Video2016
Online retailer Jet.com becomes part of the Walmart family with the two companies joining forces to save customers even more time and money.
Frank Parker On UPCs
Early DC Systems Designer, Retired
Play Video
Claude Harris On Integrity
Senior Vice President, Market Research, Retired
Play Video“I would argue that our relentless effort to improve our business has always been tied to trying to make things better for the folks who live and work in our communities.”
Sam Walton
“This environmental issue is important to our customers, so it's important to us.”
Sam Walton
2016
A Year in Review
Play Video
2016
Journey inside Walmart's Heritage Archives with the Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
2016
Helen Walton: A Life Well Scattered
Play Video
2016
The original doors to Sam Walton’s first Ben Franklin franchise – the only known artifacts in existence from that store – are discovered.
Becky Elliott On Sam Wearing Buttons
Former Assistant to Sam Walton and People Director, Finance Division, Retired
Play Video
2017
Take a trip with our transportation team in the Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
Karenann Terrell On Women Working for Walmart
EVP and CIO, Retired
Play Video
2017
Enjoy a look back at 2016 with this Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
David Glass On Store Compliance
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video“You can't just keep doing what works one time; everything around you is changing. To succeed, stay out in front of change.”
Sam Walton
Lee Scott On Trusting the Front Line Associates
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video
David Glass On Technology
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video
David Glass On Sam and Store Visits
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video“Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. 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
Ron Loveless On Sam and Management Technique
CEO, Sam's Club, Retired
Play Video
Bob Erickson On Sam Visiting His Store
Operations Executive, Retired
Play Video
Bob Erickson On Using Reports to Increase Sales
Operations Executive, Retired
Play Video
Lee Scott On Being Self-Critical
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video
Lee Scott On Sam's Motivations
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video“Looking ahead, we will compete with technology, but win with people. We will be people led and tech empowered. We will win because we are purpose driven, with clear and meaningful values and an effective and resilient culture. ”
Doug McMillon
Mike Duke On Being Remembered
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video
Mike Duke On Growth and Leadership
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video
Mike Duke On Sam Walton and Family
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video
Mike Duke On Sam's Business Model
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video
Lee Scott On Treating People with Respect and Dignity
President and CEO, Retired
Play Video
Ed Nagy On Opportunity
SVP Operations, Retired
Play Video
Charlie Digges, Sr. On Sam's Time in High School
Sam Walton's High School Classmate
Play Video
2017
Find out how Sam Walton saved a young boy in the Walmart Museum Minute
Play VideoLittle Known Sparks
The first Walmart Supercenter opened in which Missouri city?
The first Walmart Supercenter opened in Washington, Missouri, in 1988.
2017
See the bill of sale for Sam Walton's first Ben Franklin franchise in this Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
2017
Alice Walton discusses the history of the Sam Walton Entrepreneur of the Year award in this Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
2017
Learn more about our Oral History Project with the Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
2017
Twenty-five years ago, Sam Walton was awarded the Medal of Freedom. Take a look back at the moment Sam called "the highlight of my career" with the Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
2018
"I Remember Sam" and His Community
Play Video
2018
Champian Fulton Live at the 5&10
Play Video
2018
"I Remember Sam" and His Merchants
Play Video
2018
"I Remember Sam" and His People
Play Video“Individuals don't win; teams do.”
Sam Walton
2018
"I Remember Sam" and His People
Play Video
2018
Shareholders/Associates Week 2018 is in the books, but you can see a few highlights in this video.
Play Video
2018
Discover more about the Sam M. Walton College of Business with the Walmart Museum Minute
Play Video
2018
Visit Sam's second Bentonville office in this installment of The Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
2018
"I Remember Sam" and the Walmart Foundation
Play Video
2018
How Does Sam Walton's Legacy Live On? Part 3
“Saturdays around Bentonville Square were something special. Dad always had something going on … it seemed like we had a circus or carnival going on almost every weekend.”
Alice Walton
2018
Walmart Alumnus and Friend of George H.W. Bush Remembers the President
Play Video
2018
Take a look at the Sam Walton Centennial Community Art Project with the Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
2018
Spark Conversation: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Play Video
2018
The museum asked visitors how Sam's legacy impacts them. Here are a few of their responses.
2018
Look back at a few of the things The Walmart Museum did in 2018
Play Video
2019
What was on Sam Walton's July 7, 1990 to-do list? Get the answer in the latest Walmart Museum Minute.
Play Video
2019
