Walmart

Walmart Inc. is an American multinational omnichannel retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations in the United States and 19 other countries. It is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company was founded in 1962 by brothers Sam Walton and James "Bud" Walton in nearby Rogers, Arkansas. It also owns and operates Sam's Club retail warehouses. As of 2026, Walmart is the second-largest company by revenue globally and the largest private employer in the world, with 2.1 million employees. The company is ranked one in the Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500. In February 2026, Walmart became the first traditional retailer to be valued at over $1 trillion and is known for product innovation. It is a publicly traded family-owned business (the largest such business in the world), as the company is controlled by the Walton family. Sam Walton's heirs own over 50 percent of Walmart through both their holding company Walton Enterprises and their individual holdings. Walmart was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972 and switched to the Nasdaq in December 2025. It is a core member of major indices, including Dow Jones Global Titans 50 and S&P 500. By 1988, it was the most profitable retailer in the U.S., and it had become the largest in terms of revenue by October 1989. The company was originally geographically limited to the South and lower Midwest, but it had stores from coast to coast by the early 1990s. As of early 2026, Walmart holds a global portfolio of 8,841 total patent filings, of which approximately 2,686 have been successfully granted.