History of Walmart Timeline

By this time Walmart was operating in five states: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma. It expanded into Tennessee in 1973 and Kentucky and Mississippi in 1974.

As the company expanded into Texas in 1975, there were 125 stores with 7,500 associates and total sales of $340.3 million (approximately $1.54 billion in 2024).

In 1981, Walmart expanded into the southeastern US market, opening stores in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, and acquiring 92 Kuhn's Big K stores.

Walmart continued its national growth by expanding into Florida and Nebraska in 1982.

The first Walmart stores opened in Virginia in 1984 as part of the company's continued eastward expansion.

In 1985, with 882 stores, sales of $8.4 billion, and 104,000 associates, the company expanded into Wisconsin and Colorado, with first stores opening in Minnesota in 1986.

By 1990, Walmart expanded into California, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Utah, officially becoming a fully nationwide retailer.

In 1991, the company expanded into Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York, and launched the Sam's American Choice brand 'Made in America' initiative to stimulate American suppliers.

By 1995, Walmart had 1,995 discount stores, 239 Supercenters, 433 Sam's Clubs, and 276 international stores, with sales at $93.6 billion (approximately $175 billion in 2024) and 675,000 associates.

In 1993, the Walmart International Division was formed with Bobby Martin as its president, signaling the company's growing global ambitions.

That same year, Walmart acquired 91 PACE Membership Warehouse clubs from Kmart and 122 Woolco stores in Canada, marking its entry into Canadian retail.

The company entered the Chinese market in 1996 through a joint-venture agreement, expanding its international footprint into Asia.

Image source: Walmart

The Asda chain in the United Kingdom became a Walmart subsidiary in 1999 and is the second-largest chain in the UK after Tesco.

Image source: Asda

In 2002, Walmart entered the Japanese market by acquiring a minor stake in Seiyu Group, which would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart by 2008.

Image source: Seiyu Group

On May 22, 2006, Walmart announced the sale of its 16 stores in South Korea to Shinsegae Co., which rebranded the stores to E-Mart.

On July 26, 2006, Walmart announced a complete pull-out from the German market; all existing 85 stores were sold to the Metro Group, which rebranded most of them to Real hypermarkets.

In early 2009, Walmart entered Chile by acquiring Distribucion y Servicio D&S SA, expanding its Latin American presence.

In May 2009, Walmart entered into a 50/50 partnership with Bharti to gain access to the Indian market.

Image source: Bharti Enterprises

In June 2011, Walmart acquired 51% of Massmart Holdings, expanding into Africa. The acquisition received final governmental approval in early 2012.

Image source: Massmart

In late 2005, Walmart designed two experimental stores in McKinney, Texas, and Aurora, Colorado, featuring wind turbines, photovoltaic solar panels, biofuel-capable boilers, water-cooled refrigerators, and xeriscape gardens.

On September 12, 2007, for the first time in 13 years, Walmart introduced new advertising with the slogan 'Save money. Live better.' Research commissioned found Walmart saved American families about $2,500 yearly as of 2006.

On June 30, 2008, Walmart unveiled the company's new logo, which stylized the name as 'Walmart' with a spark symbol, replacing the previous hyphenated branding.

Image source: Walmart

On December 3, 2008, the family of service worker Jdimytai Damour, who was killed by a stampede of shoppers entering a Valley Stream, New York store on Black Friday (November 28), filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Walmart.

Image source: Black Friday (shopping)

On February 22, 2010, the company confirmed it was acquiring the video streaming company Vudu, Inc. for an estimated $100 million (approximately $140 million in 2024).

Image source: Fandango (streaming service)

In June 2014, Walmart employees went on strike in several major cities in the United States, protesting wages and working conditions.

Image source: Criticism of Walmart

The COVID-19 pandemic forced temporary measures such as store closures, limited occupancy, employee dismissals, and social distancing protocols. From 2020 to early 2022, customers were required to wear masks in all stores nationwide, including Sam's Club. By February 2022, restrictions such as mask requirements were lifted.

Image source: COVID-19 pandemic

In December 2020, Walmart launched Carrier Pickup, a new service allowing customers to schedule returns for pickup.

In January 2021, Walmart announced it was launching a fintech startup with venture partner Ribbit Capital to provide financial products for consumers and employees.

Image source: Affirm Holdings

As of 2024, Walmart is removing self-checkout from some stores, adjusting its checkout strategy across locations.

Image source: Self-checkout

On January 13, 2025, Walmart unveiled a new logo for the first time in 17 years, designed by Jones Knowles Ritchie and Landor, along with a new custom font 'Everyday Sans' based on Antique Olive Black, used from 1977 to 1992 and in the logo from 1981 to 2008.