Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Type Public (NYSE: WMT) Founded Rogers, Arkansas (1962) Founder Sam Walton Headquarters Bentonville, Arkansas Area served Worldwide Key people H. Lee Scott (CEO) & (President) S. Robson Walton (Chairman) Industry Retail Products Discount Stores Supercenters Neighborhood Markets Market Cap US$ 210.973 Billion (2007) Revenue ? US$ 374.526 Billion (2007)[1] Operating income ? US$ 20.198 Billion (2007)[2] Net income ? US$ 12.731 Billion (2007)[2] Total assets ? US$ 163.514 Billion (2007)[3] Total equity ? US$ 64.608 Billion (2007)[3] Employees aprox 2,100,000 (2008)[2] Website www.walmart.com Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large, discount department stores. It is the world's largest public corporation by revenue, according to the 2008 Fortune Global 500.[4] Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, it was incorporated on October 31, 1969, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is the largest private employer in the world and the fourth largest utility or commercial employer, trailing the British National Health Service, and the Indian Railways. Wal-Mart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States, with an estimated 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business, as well as the largest toy seller in the U.S. It also owns and operates the North American company of Sam's Club. Wal-Mart operates in Mexico as Walmex, in the UK as ASDA, and in Japan as Seiyu. It has wholly-owned operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the UK. Wal-Mart's investments outside North America have had mixed results: its operations in South America and China are highly successful, while it was forced to pull out of Germany when its venture there was unsuccessful. Wal-Mart has been criticized by some community groups, women's rights groups, grassroots organizations, and labor unions, specifically for its extensive foreign product sourcing, low rates of employee health insurance enrollment, resistance to union representation, and alleged sexism.