Walmart and Target: A Comparative Analysis of the Retailers

A snapshot of the Net Margins for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is shown below: Net Margin Wal-Mart 2010 3.90% 2011 3.50% 2012 3.60%

Wal-Mart is a brand that is well known around the world, especially in the USA. It has gradually developed into the largest retailer in the world. Wal-Mart’s globalization efforts have been happening rapidly. But have they been successful in all aspects of their international expansion or not? This is the main thought that is going to be discussed in this essay. The questions I will be looking at are based on a case called “Wal-Mart takes on the world” from the book of International Business The Challenge of Global Competition eleventh edition – Ball, McCulloch, Geringer, Minor, and McNett. Questions are the following:

As the world’s largest retail store in the world, Walmart wants to be in every market that they can be prosperous in. They know they rule the United States market, so why not try to expand overseas and dominate those markets as well. Now that they have reached limits on expansion here in the U.S., the next step was to test the water in other nations. As they began to go international, there were many critics saying they will never make it because their business practices and culture wouldn’t work in other countries. Yet the company’s globalization efforts progressed at a rapid pace. Its more than 4,263 international retail units employ more than 660,000

Wal-Mart and Target are both great retail stores to go and find a good bang for your buck shopping experience. After researching both companies, it appears they have the same ideas as a mission, saving the customer money. Wal-Mart Mission statement reads;

Within less than 30 years, Wal-Mart had transformed from a small rural retailer in Arkansas into the largest retailer in the U.S. In order to continue this rapid growth, the company had started to pursue international expansion grounded in the belief that the firm’s business model of offering quality products at low prices and great customer service would appeal to consumers everywhere around the world (p.8)[1]. China was of particular interest in going international as Wal-Mart’s top management held the opinion that it was the only market in which the firm’s success story in the U.S. could be repeated (p.2/8). However, in 2005 (nine years after its

Since 1962 and the beginning of the discount retailer market Wal-Mart has been ahead of the retail game. By 1967 there were 24 Wal-Marts that had grossed 12.6 million dollars. In just 7 years Wal-mart had spread into 9 states. By 1979 Wal-Mart was the fastest store to reach a billion dollars in sales. In 2005 Wal-Mart has 3,800 domestic stores along with 3,800 stores internationally, and had made over 312 billion dollars. As you can see the Wal-Mart empire has grown monumentally. To move into this segment of the market would be tough.

Many discount retailers have come and gone over the years, but Wal-Mart and more recently Target, have employed business models that continually deliver profits, even in the struggling economy of the United states in recent years. Wal-Mart and Target both have expanded rapidly since their inception and while Wal-Mart has become an international retailer with stores in fifteen countries and all over the United States while Target has

This paper will give a summary of Target corporation versus Wal-Mart stores, Incorporated. In the following weeks it will compare the financial performances of these two companies, by evaluating circumstances such as the times interest earned, return on equity, return on assets and other factors. This paper will present an overview of the exchanges on which both company’s stock is traded. It will also present characteristics of that particular exchange which may have led the company to be listed there versus another exchange. This summary will also explain the types of securities both Wal-Mart and Target have outstanding, such as the bonds, preferred stock or the common

According to Mergent “Target has had their net capital spending increase each of the three years. The chief purpose why it has increased is due to the fixed assets and depreciation expenses both increasing each year. The net fixed resources developed at a related rate each year while the devaluation expenditure developed at a higher rate from 2011 to 2012 than it did from 2012 to 2013” (Mergent Inc. 2013).

These essays that talk about Wal-Mart and how the company is ran are, “The Case for Wal-Mart”, and also “Down and Out in Discount America”, both of these essays have their own points of view on how Wal-Mart operates as a company and how it treats the employees and customers. One essay feels that Wal-Mart is a good thing for the economy while the other feels that it is a bad thing.

Today’s economy and the increased unemployment rate have made the average American household drastically change their spending habits. The average household has to function on surviving with less. Which brings me to my topic. We have become a savvier shopper; ultimately looking for the establishment can offer the most for our money with out sacrificing quality. We have become “bargain shoppers”. When I think of a discount store two major companies come to mind Target and Wal-Mart. The merchandise and services provided are pretty much comparable. Many of its customer population shops there for two simply reasons one is out of loyalty and the other being it’s a preference.

Two companies I believe have demonstrated their marketing ability using social media are Target and JC Penney. Both companies have struggled to keep up with the changing demands of consumers but have recently made impressive changes to encourage customer satisfaction. For example, Target has introduced new brands and JC Penney offers rewards points for shopping. Both stores offer a convenient app that allows users to find coupons for their purchases.

Wal-Mart has expanded beyond the United States, they have gone global. Wal-Mart continues to offer food and goods at a low price and continue to thrive by using the mission statement that the retail giant was built upon which is great customer service and low prices.

Wal-Mart is the number one retailer in the world in both sales and earnings, dwarfing many of its retail competitors. It offers a full assortment of products ranging from clothing to electronics. It currently has 6000 locations predominately within the United States with over $312.4 Billion in net sales during 2006. In addition to its strong domestic presence, Wal-Mart has expanded aggressively to Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico with over 1000 locations within those countries. This expansion can potentially create greater economies of scale for Wal-Mart services and merchandise. The synergies created by expansion will also drive profitability in the future by providing goods and services at even lower costs to consumers. In order to enter foreign markets successful, Wal-Mart engages in both joint ventures and acquisitions. By utilizing this method, Wal-Mart intends to leverage foreign retailer's market knowledge with its own core competencies of merchandising and supply chain management (Stilgoe, 2003).

Q2. How would you explain wal mart choice of countries during the early stages of international expansion in the 1990 's.