Which retail chain was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton?

The retail chain founded in 1962 by Sam Walton is Walmart.

Walton opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City store on July 2, 1962, in Rogers, Arkansas. His brother, James “Bud” Walton, was also a co-founder. The business grew from Walton’s earlier experience operating Ben Franklin variety stores, where he developed a philosophy of offering familiar merchandise at low prices and relying on high sales volume.

The first Walmart was not founded in Bentonville, although Bentonville later became the company’s headquarters and the home of Walton’s original Five and Dime museum. Walmart’s early expansion also focused on smaller towns, where competition was often limited. Efficient distribution, volume purchasing, and tightly coordinated logistics helped the chain expand rapidly.

The name originally appeared as “Wal-Mart,” and the company was incorporated as Wal-Mart, Inc. in 1969. It later became Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., before adopting the single-word Walmart name in 2018. Costco, Kmart, and Target are different retail businesses with separate founders and histories.