Walmart CEO to Associates: “You Are Our Heroes”

Actualizado: 05 Jun 2015, 11:07 AM EDT Publicado: 05 Jun 2015, 11:07 AM EDT

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–At the company’s Annual Shareholders Meeting, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
President and CEO Doug McMillon challenged the company’s more than 2
million associates to win the future of retail “one customer at a time.”
McMillon laid out his strategy:

“We’ll save customers money on their everyday needs with an easy
shopping experience powered by people and technology. We’ll offer: Value
– everyday low prices. Convenience – we’ll be there when and where they
want us. Merchandise – we’ll have the items they want and continue to be
great merchants. An easy experience – simple and fun. We’ll win one
customer at a time.”

Our Associates are Our Heroes

In front of more than 14,000 associates and shareholders, McMillon
reinforced the integral role Walmart associates play in serving
customers every day and the company’s commitment to providing
opportunities for them to grow and advance their careers.

Referencing the company’s recent announcements on scheduling, pay,
benefits and training, McMillon said, “With hard work and determination,
you can exceed your highest expectations here. I’m so proud of the work
we’ve done this year to demonstrate how we’ve always felt about our own
associates, our team.”

He described associates as the company’s heroes: “In our story, the hero
is you – our associates. We aren’t more powerful than a locomotive or
able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. We do have super powers
though and they are real. They’re our passion, our commitment to our
customers, our caring for one another. Really, our superpowers are those
that help us make someone’s day better; their life better.”

Serving Customers in New Ways

McMillon discussed the evolving needs of Walmart customers and how
technology is offering new ways to serve them. “We’ve always said we run
our business one store a time. That’s still true. But it’s becoming more
than that. It’s now one customer at a time. One customer can shop with
us in so many different ways – in stores, on their phones, at homes, a
pick-up point. But they just think they’re shopping at Walmart, at ASDA,
at Sam’s Club.”

He continued, “I want us to stop talking about digital and physical
retail as if they’re two separate things. The customer doesn’t think of
it that way, and we can’t either. Customers just want us to solve their
everyday problems with an easy, seamless shopping experience.”

McMillon said Walmart is uniquely positioned to define the future of
retail, “We have strong competitors, but they don’t have what we do.
They don’t have you – 2 million associates who want make a difference.
Think about the map of our locations. No one else has that incredible
network around the world. Now, think about our supply chain and
experienced logistics team. I get excited about what our technology team
is now capable of. As we add new capabilities and join these unique
assets together effectively, we’re going to have something special.”

He added, “We’re approaching this work with both urgency and
determination. We’re moving fast to exceed our customers’ expectations,
while making purposeful choices that will position us for the long haul.
This is a turning point in our story, and the investments we’re making
today will set the stage for strong and sustainable growth.”

Making a Difference, Acting with Integrity

McMillon also shared his expectations for Walmart leaders as they work
to execute his vision, including acting with integrity, leading on
social and environmental issues and making a difference in local
communities.

“There’s no business result that’s worth more than your personal
integrity or our company’s. We’d rather have a bad financial result than
take a shortcut,” he said.

He added, “We want to show that a business can grow in size and reduce
its environmental impact at the same time.”

A Focus on Associates

Today’s meeting followed a week of events in Northwest Arkansas that
celebrated the company’s associates. The company shared a series of
initiatives in its U.S. stores to respond to associate feedback and
provide greater career opportunity. The company announced:

Raising the starting wage for more than 100,000 department managers
and specialists;
Changes to its dress code;
Improvements to the in-store experience for both associates and
customers, including the return of Walmart Radio and changes to store
temperatures;
New technology for all department managers; and
New associate badges that read: “Our People Make the Difference.”

For more information or to watch a replay of the shareholders meeting,
please visit www.walmartshareholders.com.

About Walmart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save
money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online,
and through their mobile devices. Each week, we serve nearly 260 million
customers who visit our 11,462 stores under 65 banners in 28 countries
and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2015 revenue
of $486 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates
worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate
philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about
Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com
on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com
and http://www.samsclub.com.