There were three stories that came out about Wal-Mart this weekend, two pf which suggested to us how Wal-Mart makes the right moves both in terms of how the company interacts with consumers and suppliers, and what the results of its labors have brought it.
The third story? That had to do with Wal-Mart Stores, with net sales last year of $256.33 billion, was named No. 1 on the Fortune 500 list of America's largest companies for the third year in a row.
As a matter of interest, Exxon Mobil Corp. moved up to No. 2 from third place, and General Motors Corp. slipped to No. 3 from the second spot. The top 10 list was rounded out by Ford Motor Co., General Electric Co., ChevronTexaco Corp., ConocoPhillips, Citigroup Inc., International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), and American International Group Inc.
- MNB got a press release over the weekend noting that down in Arkansas, Wal-Mart will host an outdoor Fishing and Automotive Clinic prior to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s $1.25 million Wal-Mart Open event in Rogers. The Wal-Mart FLW Tour is touted as the world’s most lucrative bass-tournament series.
- At the same time, DiversityBusiness.com, which calls itself "the nation's leading multicultural B2B online portal that links large organizational buyers to women and minority-owned product and service suppliers," named Wal-Mart Stores "the top corporation for multicultural business opportunities in 2004."
The list is produced annually by DiversityBusiness.com, which looks primarily at the quality of business opportunities granted to diversity business owners.
The third story? That had to do with Wal-Mart Stores, with net sales last year of $256.33 billion, was named No. 1 on the Fortune 500 list of America's largest companies for the third year in a row.
As a matter of interest, Exxon Mobil Corp. moved up to No. 2 from third place, and General Motors Corp. slipped to No. 3 from the second spot. The top 10 list was rounded out by Ford Motor Co., General Electric Co., ChevronTexaco Corp., ConocoPhillips, Citigroup Inc., International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), and American International Group Inc.
- KC's View:
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So, Wal-Mart wants to sell more fishing gear, and what does it do? It teaches people how to fish.
It wants to create a strong image for itself in minority communities, and it dedicates itself to diversity.
There are a lot of things that one can criticize about Wal-Mart, and we're certainly not shy about any of them. But Wal-Mart does a lot of things rights, and competitive retailers need to stop whining about the Bentonville Behemoth and start getting aggressive.
Otherwise, we'll all be living in the Nation of Wal-Mart.
