1960s
1962 Sam Walton founds the company and opens the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers City, Arkansas
1969 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is founded on Oct. 31
1970s
1970 The company establishes its corporate headquarters and the first distribution center in Bentonville, Arkansas
1970 The company establishes its corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas
1970 The company establishes its corporate headquarters and first distribution center in Bentonville, Arkansas
1972 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. stock is admitted to the New York Stock Exchange
1975 Sam Walton introduces the famous "Wal-Mart Cheer," inspired by workers in South Korea
1980s
1983 The first Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is established in Midwest, Oklahoma. Midwest City, Oklahoma, opens the first Sam's Club store
1984 Sam Walton lives up to his promise to his employees, and the company reaches an 8% pre-tax profit, and he dances the hula on Wall Street
1984 David Glass becomes the company's president
1987 Wal-Mart's satellite network is completed, making it the largest privately owned U.S. satellite system.
1988 David Glass becomes company CEO
1988 First Wal-Mart shopping plaza opens in Washington, Missouri
1990s
1990 Wal-Mart becomes the No. 1 retailer in the U.S.
1991 Wal-Mart store opens in Mexico City, and Wal-Mart begins to move into overseas markets
1992 April 5, 1992 Sam? Mr. Walton dies
1992 April 7 S. Robertson Walton becomes chairman of the company's board of directors
1992 Wal-Mart enters Puerto Rico
1993 Wal-Mart's International Division is created, and Bobby Martin becomes president and CEO of the International Division
1993 First single-week sales of $1 billion are reached in December
1994 Acquires 122 Woolco stores in Canada
1995 Enters Argentina and Brazil
1996 Enters China through a joint venture
1997 Becomes the No. 1 private employer in the U.S.
1997 Employs 680,000 in the U.S. and 115,000 outside the U.S.
1997 Employs 680,000 in the U.S., and 115,000 employees outside the U.S.
1997 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. stock becomes a Dow Jones Industrial Average stock
1997 Wal-Mart surpasses $100 billion in annual sales for the first time, reaching $105 billion
1998 Wal-Mart enters Germany with the acquisition of 21 Wertkauf
1998 Introduces its first community stores, opening three in Arkansas, opening three community stores
1998 Annual charitable contributions exceed $100 million, reaching $102 million
1998 Entered South Korea through the formation of a joint venture
1999 Became the world's largest privately held employer with 1.14 million employees
1999 Acquired ASDA Group of Companies (with 229 stores) and enters the U.K.
1999 Acquires 374 Interspa supermarkets in Germany
The 2000s
2000 Ranked No. 5 on Fortune magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies. Lee Scott becomes president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
2001 Record one-day sales, reaching $1.25 billion the day after Thanksgiving
2001 Ranked No. 1 on FORTUNE's list of the world's 500 largest corporations and No. 3 on FORTUNE's list of the "America's Most Admired Companies. "America's Most Admired Companies"
2002 Entered Japan with the acquisition of a portion of Nishitomo Department Store
2002 Ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's list of the world's 500 largest corporations and No. 1 on Fortune magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies"
2003 Ranked No. 1 in the world's 500 largest corporations and No. 1 in Fortune magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies" ranking. 2003 Ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's list of the world's 500 largest companies and No. 1 on Fortune magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies"
2004 Held its global board of directors' meeting on March 4, 2004, in Shenzhen, China
2005 On November 4, 2005, Wal-Mart increased its stake in Japanese retailer Seiyu Ltd. to 56.56% through a US$1 billion assistance program. Ed Kroszky, formerly senior vice president and chief operating officer of Wal-Mart Worldwide, took over as CEO of Seiyu on December 15.
December 14, 2005 Acquired more than 140 large and small supermarkets, department stores, and wholesale markets in Brazil from Portuguese conglomerate Sonae SGPSSA for $764 million, and consolidated its position as the No. 1 and No. 3 retailer in Brazil. and consolidated its position as the No. 3 retailer in Brazil.
On December 22, 2005, Sam's Club Shenzhen moved to a new location, with 5,000 square meters more space than the original Sam's, and more than three times the number of parking spaces.
In March 2006, Wal-Mart acquired a controlling interest in Central America's largest retailer, Central American Retail Holdings, and renamed the company Wal-Mart Central America. Wal-Mart expands its presence in Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
On August 28, 2006, the Shenzhen Distribution Center was relocated from Shekou to Pingshan Town, Longgang District, doubling the size of the original distribution center in the first phase.