Walmart 1997 Annual Report Download - page 17

“The Wal-Mart name is better
known outside the United
States than any of us imagine,”
said Bob L. Martin, President
of the International Division.
“We are a global brand name.
To customers everywhere it
means low cost, best value,
greatest selection of quality
merchandise and highest
standards of customer service.
“It takes time to make money
in these markets, but the fact
that International has grown
to $5 billion in sales in less than
five years gives us an idea of
how great the potential is.”
The Wal-Mart culture has
proven that it is transportable
to other cultures worldwide.
The international market is
virtually unlimited, and the
farther the Wal-Mart “global
brand” reaches around the
world, the greater the opportunity
for long-term growth.
To see just how distinctive —
and advantageous — the
Wal-Mart culture is, you only
have to meet someone like
Seto, who knows the other
side of the street from first-hand
experience.
Asked how things are different
now at Wal-Mart Canada, Seto’s
list included:
“We have the most advanced
computer technology as tools to
do our job, whereas before a lot
of reports were not available for
us to analyze our business.
“We set specific goals for sales,
inventory and gross margins.
“We treat our customers
as No. 1.
“We are all equal in this
company–we just have different
jobs to do.”
Part of the credit for the
worldwide expansion of
Wal-Mart culture should go to
the 170-some associates who
are affectionately known as
“expatriates” — associates who
go to work in international
locations for two or three years,
sharing their knowledge with
new international associates.
“It doesn’t become dull,
not for one moment,” laughed
Erlinda Garza, who is nearing
the end of her stint in Monterey,
Mexico. Garza is a co-manager
of a Supercenter that was
built from the ground up
with the help of a small team
of expatriates.
Garza and her husband
Chris, who works at another
store in Monterey, are both
natives of Corpus Christi, Texas.
They had worked at several
Wal-Marts in Texas and
Arkansas before they were
asked if they’d like to help in the
international expansion. Their
answer? “You bet we would!”
“We have always been very
proud of the company,” Garza
said. “My husband was so
excited when he heard about
this, he came home and said,
‘Guess what? We’re going to
Monterey! We’re going to pass
on the Wal-Mart culture!’
“Our associates in Mexico
know retail; it’s the culture
we brought that makes the
difference,” Garza said. “It was
so easy for us to work together,
like big kids having fun.”
Community involvement,
responding to local needs,
merchandise preferences, and
buying locally are all hallmarks
of the international Wal-Marts,
just as they are in the
United States.
Perhaps it is Wal-Mart’s
emphasis on serving its
hometown — wherever that
may be — that makes Wal-Mart
culture travel so well. Garza’s
Mexican associates, for
example, quickly became
devotees of the Wal-Mart way.
“I’ll miss the people,” Garza
said as she prepared to return
to the United States. “They’re
so motivated, they’re so willing
to say, ‘I’m going to do it.’ As
long as we have people like
that, we’ll be in good shape.”
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Agnes Seto, Wal-Mart Canada
The Wal-Mart Supercenter looks right at home anywhere in the world.