Walmart’s Foreign Expansion

Walmart store Inc, is the largest retail company in the United States, has built its success on a strategy of everyday low prices and highly efficient operations, logistics, and information system that keep inventory to a minimum and ensure against both overstocking and understocking. Walmart began its international expansion in the early 1990s to grow their company’s commission. They first teamed in a joint venture with Cifra, Mexico’s largest retailer, to open a series of supercenters that sell both groceries and general merchandise in Mexico. Although they faced some challenges, such as understanding their culture and buying preferences, they quickly managed to change their marketing and merchandising strategies to meet the local conditions. As they built up their distribution systems in Mexico, the Mexicans started to change their shopping habits, and now Walmart is Mexico’s largest retailer and Mexico is considered to be the company’s most successful foreign venture. Walmart continued its international expansion by establishing operations in Europe and South Korea, however the company had less success. Consumers in Europe and South Korea, seemed to have a preference for higher-quality merchandise and were not as attracted to Walmart discount strategy as consumers were in United States and Mexico. Regardless of how, Walmart had greater success in China where they have learned to adapt the Chinese culture and changed their merchandise and operations strategies.
1. Do you think Walmart could translate its merchandising strategy wholesale to another country and succeed? If not, why not?
No, I do not believe that Walmart could translate its merchandise strategy wholesale to another country and succeed. Their merchandise strategy was form to base in United States for U.S consumers, which carries the methods and culture of retailing in