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  • January 2022
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Walmart USA—Searching for Growth

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Maria P. Roche
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:22
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Abstract

In 2022, Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, and his team looked back at a difficult but ultimately successful past year. The global pandemic had posed enormous challenges, but the company had weathered the storm successfully, raising same-store sales growth, long anemic, by 8%. The team was particularly proud of Walmart’s performance in online sales. Walmart+, the company’s $98 membership program that offered free shipping, had attracted more than 15 million households. Investors remained skeptical, however. The company’s share price remained flat. Would the post-pandemic era finally bring the hoped-for change? What were the most significant opportunities the company faced in its 60th year in business? Was it even possible to substantially grow Walmart’s U.S. operations, a behemoth with more than 5,000 stores and over $350 billion in sales? As McMillon and his team debated Walmart’s capital allocation, they carefully considered three growth opportunities: a continued build-out of the company’s e-commerce operations, an upscaling initiative, and a renewed effort to capture market share in urban markets. Would any of these strategic initiatives sway Wall Street?

Keywords

Health Pandemics; Growth and Development Strategy; Sales; Business Strategy; Business and Shareholder Relations; Retail Industry

Citation

Oberholzer-Gee, Felix, and Maria P. Roche. "Walmart USA—Searching for Growth." Harvard Business School Case 722-395, January 2022.
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About The Authors

Felix Oberholzer-Gee

Strategy
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Maria P. Roche

Strategy
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Related Work

    • November 2022 (Revised May 2024)
    • Faculty Research

    Walmart USA—Searching for Growth

    By: Maria P. Roche
Related Work
  • Walmart USA—Searching for Growth By: Maria P. Roche
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