Brand L. Elverston’s Post

Reflecting on Sam Walton's remarkable journey with Walmart, here are 8 invaluable lessons I've gleaned from its book "Sam Walton : Made in America" : 1. Monitoring the Competition: Sam's keen eye for competition drove him to meticulously study neighboring stores, extracting successful strategies to implement in Walmart outlets. 2. Continuous Enhancement through Experimentation: Embracing the trend of discount stores, Walmart actively experimented with systems and processes, constantly seeking improvement. 3. Fostering an Informed Culture: Weekly Saturday meetings became a cornerstone of Walmart's communication strategy, ensuring associates were well-versed in key metrics and management strategies. 4. Encouraging Idea Generation: Empowering individuals at all levels to select items for promotion cultivated a culture of innovation and adept merchandising. 5. Prioritizing the Customer: Walmart's commitment to low prices, both for customers and in dealings with suppliers, fostered trust and loyalty among its customer base. 6. Methodical Expansion: Walton's approach of perfecting each initial store before expanding ensured sustainable growth and success. 7. Unwavering Dedication: Sam's dedication to retailing was unwavering, evidenced by his meticulous study of retail practices worldwide. 8. Embracing Frugality: Despite immense success, Walton's frugal lifestyle and focus on cost efficiency remained integral to Walmart's ethos. Sam Walton's journey offers timeless wisdom for businesses striving for success in today's dynamic landscape. Let's embrace these lessons to drive innovation, foster informed cultures, and prioritize customer satisfaction. #Walmart #BusinessLessons #SamWalton"

Rumors and Gossip about Walmart in a Nutshell 2/2 Conclusion: While these rumors and gossip provide an intriguing glimpse into potential strategic moves by Walmart, they should be taken with caution. The actual impact of these rumored initiatives will depend on various factors, including market conditions, regulatory environment, and the company's execution capabilities. Nonetheless, keeping an eye on these developments can offer valuable insights into Walmart's future direction and its efforts to maintain its leadership in the retail industry.

Delighted to unveil the findings from my latest exploration of Walmart inaugurations across the United States. 📊 Contrasting Walmart's establishment trends with those of rival superstores nationwide. Additionally, delving into a longitudinal assessment of openings spanning decades.  #DataAnalysis #BusinessInsights #walmart

Walmart has recently had an excellent run of growth partly powered by inflation pushing up prices and partly off the back of acquiring new customers. However, it’s clear that both these dynamics are running out of steam, so Walmart must find other avenues to boost growth. New stores is an obvious tactic as it allows Walmart to infill in areas where it under indexes on customer and market share. Given shopping habits have shifted so much over the past five or so years, there are now more of these white spaces that Walmart can grow into.   Refurbishing stores is a bid to boost the non-food business which has struggled of late. Walmart wants to replicate Target’s success by providing a better shopping experience that helps drive footfall and sales.   Compensation and stock for managers is designed to incentivize the key people to help Walmart drive better numbers through the business.   Walmart hopes that this raft of initiatives will all pull the business in the right direction and will keep the momentum going even as some favorable dynamics unwind. Thanks to Retail Dive for including my thoughts in deep-dive article on Walmart's strategies. Link in comments. #retail #retailnews #Walmart

This week we shared our Q4 earnings and the numbers are impressive. What’s even more impressive is the real story that’s behind those numbers. The real story is the Walmart associates across the country who made those earnings numbers happen. ⭐ Like the cashiers and customer hosts who welcome each customer with a smile.  ⭐ Or the private fleet drivers who take pride in safely delivering every shipment on schedule. ⭐ Or the stocking associates who make sure store shelves are filled with the items their customers need. ⭐ Or the tech teams who create tools that make working for and shopping at Walmart easy in ways we don’t even realize. ⭐ Or the store managers who lead with compassion and develop our next generation of leaders. Those are just a few of the countless examples of how our associates make the difference in communities everywhere. Helping people live better defines Walmart culture. And our associates bring it to life every day. Now, let’s go do it again in 2024! #InItToWinIt #TeamWalmart

Did you know a decision in 1962 created America's richest family? Imagine a game of Monopoly where one player starts in a small town and ends up owning the board. In Rogers, Arkansas, Sam Walton opened a small discount store. That store is Today's retail giant, Walmart, the crown jewel of the Walton family's $220+ billion empire. 1962 marked the dawn of discount retailing in America. The same year saw the emergence of three retail titans: Walmart, Kmart, and Target. Kmart and Target flourished in large cities with financial might, while Walmart, the underdog, steadily expanded in smaller towns. Today, Walmart, once an underdog, reports the world highest revenue exceeding $600 billion Walmart has maintained its edge via various strategies such as Cost Leadership, Supply Chain Efficiency, and Large Supercentres. But will Walmart retain the top retailer spot? The king of ecommerce Amazon is knocking round the corner and may surpass Walmart as the Top retailer by 2024. Let’s see how the retail saga shapes up. Link to my short format video content 👇 (https://lnkd.in/ewwiMUR6) Happy weekend! Picture source - Pinterest #retail #giant #walton #family

Walmart is the largest company in the world by revenue and the number of employees. 💰 👩💼 My top 5 learnings from the book I read last month - Walmart founder Sam Walton's - Made in America. ✍ 1. Constraints are good - Although seen negatively, constraints can be helpful. In Walmart's case, there were many constraints - Sam's early adulthood in the Depression era, Opening stores in small-town America, and other family constraints shaped what Walmart is today. 2. Set big goals, Break them down into sub-goals, track metrics and work hard to achieve them - This is easier said than done, but Sam was obsessed with goals, numbers, and hard work. This theme is repeated throughout Walmart's history in many different ways. 3. Look over the horizon, and be prepared for change and what's coming next - Sam started as a franchisee in the variety store business for a different company. He was always looking for what was coming next and adopted himself and started Walmart as a discounting store which was not a very common retail business model in the '60s 4. You don't have to be first to market with a new idea - Sam was known for adopting ideas from his competitors. He was extremely good at taking the ideas, improving, and executing them to the best of his ability. 5. Having a north star in everything you do - Customer was the focal point in all the decision-making and how Sam operated. Customers don't have to be just Walmart shoppers but we all have customers for everything we build and put forward in many different contexts. Keeping your customer in mind is a game changer.

Parag Shah (merchant x-The GIANT Company, Wakefern Food Corp.) & I had the chance to break down the Walmart earnings last week. To say we are in awe is shortchanging the #omnichannelretailer. With the size and scale it has, the results are phenomenal. What do we attribute it to : 1.) 'Nimbleness' : how does an organization of this scale pivot so fast? 2.) Dedication to #omnichannelretail. While many other merchants are learning the 'speak', the majority here have embraced and executed. 3.) Understanding their was a right time to lead with #privatelabel and letting results speak for themselves. 4.) In stock - over the last 18 months, I personally rarely experienced the depth of stock challenges others see to the day. 5.) Pride of their customer. Ready to willing and assist in store. Listen to the video for more highlights.

🚀 Thrilled to share a major milestone: our team has successfully secured a new Walmart account, driving organic sales growth! 🛒✨ It's a testament to our dedication and the quality of our products. But this achievement isn't just about numbers; it's about the trust and partnership we've built. Here's why this win matters: Organic Growth: Leveraging Walmart's platform has boosted our visibility and accessibility. Customer Reach: We're now reaching more customers, expanding our market presence. Brand Validation: Partnering with a retail giant like Walmart solidifies our brand's credibility. Let's keep the momentum going! What strategies have you found effective in expanding your market reach? Share your insights below! #OrganicSales #WalmartPartnership #BusinessGrowth #MarketExpansion #RetailSuccess #BrandCredibility #SalesStrategy #CustomerEngagement #EcommerceSuccess #TeamAchievement

Just finished reading Made in America by Sam Walton, and it’s fascinating to see how his journey shaped Walmart into a retail giant. Walton’s trips to Minneapolis, where he observed Ben Franklin, Target, and Kresge (now Kmart), deeply influenced Walmart’s evolution. What stands out is Walmart’s pivot into groceries—something other big players overlooked, but which became a key factor in its resilience. It’s also intriguing how many traditional retailers have struggled. JCPenney, where Walton once worked, declared bankruptcy, and Sears is a distant memory. Yet Walmart thrives, likely because of its adaptability and strategic decisions. Stores with a grocery component tend to survive unless bogged down by debt or poor management. Reflecting on Sears, they had everything—brand, infrastructure, and customer loyalty. They even pioneered home delivery through their catalogs, way before e-commerce. Yet mismanagement and lack of innovation led to their downfall. This makes me wonder—private equity has $2.3 trillion in dry powder, so why not reinvigorate legacy brands like JCPenney or Macy’s? With retail footprints like these, they could be transformed into powerful delivery hubs, rivaling Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Retail isn’t dying—it’s evolving. The question is: Who’s ready to lead the transformation? #RetailTransformation #WalmartJourney #RetailStrategy #SamWalton #RetailInnovation #GroceryBusiness #PrivateEquity #BusinessEvolution #LeadershipLessons #RetailResilience #BrandRevival #SearsLegacy #JCPenney #RetailFootprint #EcommerceStrategy #BusinessInsights #AdaptOrDie #CustomerFocus #RetailTech #minneapolis