Walmart 2012 Annual Report Download - page 7

Walmart 2012 Annual Report 5
earn more and become
better stewards of the
environment. We continue
to reduce greenhouse
gases in our supply chain.
In our communities,
associates spend countless
hours serving as volunteers
to many organizations.
Our Global Responsibility Report is expanded this year to
include more data and metrics and looks at our progress
and opportunities on social and environmental issues. We
continue to expand our focus on these and other areas that
are important to communities around the world.
Looking ahead
Though we are never satisfied, I am pleased with our progress
over the past year. Looking ahead, we have a clear understand-
ing of what we need to do at Walmart to drive long-term
shareholder value and deliver on our mission.
Fifty years ago, there was a single Walmart discount store.
Today, there are thousands of stores, millions of associates and
hundreds of millions of customers shopping every week. As I
travel around the world, it is always inspiring to see the images
and words of Sam Walton in our stores. One quote of Sam’s
that I really like is this: “I had no vision of the scope of what
I would start … but I always had confidence that as long
as we did our work well and were good to our customers,
there would be no limit to us.”
Looking to the future, I share that optimism. There is no limit
to the difference Walmart associates can make for our share-
holders, customers and the world around us.
Michael T. Duke
President and Chief Executive Officer
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
in all of our markets. We’re investing in people and capabilities.
Last year, we launched @WalmartLabs and acquired some strong
talent in social and mobile media. We plan to continue our
investments to leverage additional opportunities in e-commerce.
This year, pending government approval, we plan to increase
our investment to 51 percent in Yihaodian, a fast-growing
e-commerce website in China.
Reinvigorating our customer-focused culture
The customer is #1 in the Walmart culture, and we are putting
tremendous effort into understanding customers and serving
them in new ways. Our Global Customer Insights group is
developing world-class analytics to identify customer trends
and support merchandising and marketing decision-making
within the business. At the same time, I am emphasizing
throughout our ranks the importance of getting even closer
to our customers.
One way we are doing
this – whether it’s me,
other members of the
leadership team or store-
level management – is
in-home visits. We share
a responsibility to get
closer to our customers
by talking with them,
listening to them and
understanding their needs. Gaining better insights into how
our customers shop will help us lay the groundwork for the
next generation Walmart stores.
Leading on social and environmental issues
Doing what is right is mandatory at all levels, and integrity is
rooted in our decisions and our culture. Sam Walton understood
the link between integrity and reputation. Our strength in doing
what’s right and good for business is a competitive advantage.
Thanks to our leadership on big issues, our relationships with
government leaders and NGOs are stronger than they’ve ever
been. We are so proud, for instance, of our new Global Women’s
Economic Empowerment Initiative. The program empowers
women through job training, increased sourcing, philanthropic
support and education around the world. We are increasing
affordability of healthy foods and making significant donations
to food banks. Our sustainable agriculture program helps farmers