Walmart, founded by Sam Walton in 1962, became the world’s largest company by revenue.
Walton opened the first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas, on July 2, 1962. The chain grew by emphasizing low prices, efficient distribution, large stores, and expansion into small and medium-sized American communities. Walmart later developed major international operations and an extensive e-commerce business.
The company is frequently listed at or near the top of the Fortune Global 500 by annual revenue. Revenue ranking and market-capitalization ranking measure different things: revenue is the money generated from sales, while market capitalization is the stock market’s valuation of outstanding shares.
Walmart’s scale comes largely from retail sales, including groceries, general merchandise, fuel, and online orders. It should not be confused with the world’s most valuable company by market cap, a title that changes with share prices and can belong to a technology or energy company.