Information Systems in Walmart

Wal-Mart was founded in the year 1962 by the visionary Sam Walton. The original idea for the store was to have a place where consumers can buy their necessities at a low price and therefore somewhat improving the quality of their lives. Wal-Mart became a corporation in 1969 under the name Wal-Mart Store Inc. in which it then went public a year later. By that time, it already had more than twenty seven stores. With the sale of company shares came steady expansion until in 1994, it crossed the US – Canadian border that was made possible with the purchase of Woolco stores. Wal-Mart celebrated its 50th birthday in 2012 with one of the most impressive portfolios that included 2.2 million associates in 10 000 stores operating in 27 countries under 69 banners.
Today, Wal-Mart is a household name and is probably the best example for the word convenience. A list of products and services available in one of the stores might be one of the most impressive lists. Wal-Mart stores combine supermarket, hardware, electronics and apparel under one roof. Wal-Mart has a partnership with another one of the most established brands in the world, McDonald’s. Every single store has a McDonald’s restaurant in it and the Canadian one also include a Tim Horton’s.

Information retrieved from http://www.walmart.ca/canada-estore/catalog/helpcentercontainer.jsp?show=aboutwalmart http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/heritage

Information systems are believed to be essential in Walmart’s growth throughout the year. It’s inventory and distribution system is considered to be world leaders. Walmart had invested over 600 million in information systems over one 5-year period. Some of Walmart’s information systems include a point-of-sale system, which allows Walmart to identify what it has sold, it’s inventory, analyzing sales, what items are selling slowly, etc. Walmart also uses telecommunications to better communicate with its sellers and as a result, they have less inventory area in