Walmart Opens 100th Training Academy in the U.S.

Academies provide better training for associates, create better
shopping experience for customers

EDMOND, Okla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Walmart is celebrating the grand opening of its 100th training academy
in the U.S. at 1225 West I-35 Frontage, Edmond, Oklahoma, today. Walmart
training academies were introduced in 2016 and have expanded to 40
states. A replay of the graduation and grand opening is available on the Walmart
Today Facebook page.

“Everything we do begins with our associates,” said Doug McMillon,
president and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “That’s why we have invested in
training academies for associates to further develop the skills they
need to better serve customers and succeed in today’s retail
environment. Walmart is a place where anyone can fulfill their
potential.”

Walmart training academies are dedicated facilities where associates
receive instruction on retail fundamentals and area specific skills.
Since the program launched, the curriculum has expanded training to
cover more than 65 positions, including customer service manager, online
grocery pickup, and assistant store manager. Associates are trained
through a combination of classroom and sales floor exercises, utilizing
technology including tablet computers and cloud storage for training
materials.

“These investments are paying off for our customers through cleaner
stores, friendlier service and faster check-out times,” added McMillon.

Associates who go through training academy programs are able to earn
while they learn new skills. Through skills training associates gain an
increase in confidence and knowledge — which leads to greater job
satisfaction, personal and professional growth and stability. Walmart
Academies are providing additional marketable skills that help
associates with the job they are in and prepare them for the next level
job.

“The Walmart Academy has given me the opportunity to help associates
build and grow their careers with the company, but also helped me grow
as a leader and an individual,” said Alesha Odenbret, Edmond Walmart
Academy facilitator. “I have had an incredible experience with the
company, and I wanted to be able to share that with other associates.”

Walmart plans to have a total of 200 academies opened across all 50
states by the end of summer. Since 2016, more than 52,000 associates
have graduated, with more than 225,000 associates on track to complete
training in 2017.

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, over 260 million customers
and members visit our 11,695 stores under 59 banners in 28 countries and
e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2017 revenue of
$485.9 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 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.

Contacts

Walmart Media Relations
Erica Jones, 1-800-331-0085