History of Walmart International
Walmart, the company that brought to life Sam Walton’s vision to help people save money and live better, has revolutionized retail in the United States. Since 1962, Walmart has touched countless lives, serving families by bringing quality, affordable goods and healthy food options within the reach of millions of Americans.
It’s a message that resonates with people everywhere, and in 1991, Walmart took that vision global. In the past 33 years, we have worked to deliver Sam’s vision to communities big and small across five continents. Today, Walmart is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer, and our dedication to our purpose is stronger than ever. We’re working to be a regenerative company, giving back more than we take. At the same time, we’re innovating. We’re moving faster, cleaner, and with more purpose than we ever have before. We’re on an extended journey. We’re bringing Walmart to the world, and the world to Walmart.
Mexico
When Sam Walton passed away in April 1992, he had already begun working to take Walmart international. Along with other key leaders, he visited sites in Mexico and began to lay the foundations for what would later that year become Walmart de Mexico, or Walmex, as it’s affectionately known. Today, Mexico is Walmart’s largest international market, and serves thousands of families every week, with general merchandise, food, and pharmacy and financial services, just to name a few, in store formats from Supercenters and Sam’s Clubs, similar to those in the U.S., to smaller, quick-access, bodega-style stores. As we’ve grown, Walmex has developed an extensive ecosystem of customer services that includes affordable health memberships and clinics, as well as telecommunications and financial technologies that have helped to unlock the digital economy for millions of people.
Learn more about the history of Walmex.
Canada
In the early 1990s, when Walmart began looking to open stores in Canada, retail looked a lot different to Canadian shoppers. We recognized that our Every Day Low Price business model could lower the cost of living for Canadians and, more broadly, that people across Canada would benefit from Walmart’s investment in their communities. In 1994, Walmart purchased 122 Woolco stores from the F. W. Woolworth Company and began operations. Today's Walmart Canada boasts more than 400 stores, serving customers from coast-to-coast. It has grown to become one of Canada's largest employers and is one of Canada's Top 10 Most Influential Brands.
Learn more about the history of Walmart Canada.
Central America
Walmart could see the positive effect that our Every Day Low Price business model was having in communities throughout Mexico, and in 2005 we made the decision to bring those savings home to families across Central America. Then, in 2010, our operations there merged with our operations in Mexico to become Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica. Today, in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, our assortment of stores is diverse. In formats ranging from smaller discount stores to supermarkets and Supercenters, we’re helping to lower the cost of an assortment of items from groceries, household items and clothing to special appliances and textiles. We’re also working to increase sustainability and economic opportunity in the communities we serve, as part of our commitment to become a regenerative company.
Learn more about the history of Walmart in Central America.
China
We've come a long way since 1996, when we first opened a hypermarket and a Sam’s Club in Shenzhen, China. We have been at the forefront of retail modernization in China ever since, and today we serve customers in true omnichannel fashion, from traditional brick-and-mortar Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs to our cutting-edge tech and e-commerce platforms. At the same time, Walmart China is driving innovation to make shopping more convenient for families, through services like online shopping with delivery tracking and one-hour (or less) delivery service. We’re also committed to diversity throughout our operations, with women in over half of all management roles at every level.
Learn more about the history of Walmart China.
India
Walmart’s presence in India dates back to the 1990s, when we began our first sourcing operations there. Today, through partnerships and strategic innovations, we’re contributing to India’s growth story in a variety of ways, including through continued sourcing, marketplace expansion, digital acceleration and our work through the Walmart Foundation. We’ve also entered into exciting business segments with Flipkart, one of the largest online marketplaces, and PhonePe, India’s largest online payments platform, both acquired by Walmart in 2018. In addition, Walmart in India invests in programs and initiatives that help lift up and promote local sellers and suppliers, including kiranas, micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), farmers, artisans and women-owned businesses, working intentionally to modernize, scale and create local jobs in communities across India.
Chile
In 2009, Walmart brought Every Day Low Prices to customers in Chile, where today we’re a leader in the supermarket industry with a multi-format strategy that reaches people across the country, including Puerto Toro, the southernmost community in the world with permanent inhabitants. Our formats in Chile include Lider, Lider Express, and SuperBodega aCuenta, which works to help meet the needs of families with lower incomes by providing quality items at some of the best prices in the country. We also have a wholesale operation that caters exclusively to small businesses, helping to contribute to other segments of the local economy. In 2024, Walmart Chile was proud to become the first supermarket in the country to offer e-commerce service to a majority of locations in Chile’s mountain regions, and over the next five years, Walmart plans to invest $150 million to make omnichannel shopping even more convenient for all Chilean customers.
Learn more about the history of Walmart Chile.
Africa
Walmart began serving communities in Africa in 2011, when we acquired a majority stake in Massmart, a retail group that owns established brands like Game, Makro and Builders, among others. Through these widely recognized and trusted retail and wholesale formats, represented by more than 300 stores in 8 sub-Saharan countries, we have gained leading market shares in the general merchandise, liquor, home improvement and wholesale food categories. Our key foundations of high-volume, low-cost, responsible business and operational excellence make our price leadership possible across our retail brands. For example, we’re proud that Makro is recognized for consistently offering the most affordable basket of essential food items in the market, and that Cash and Carry, our business-to-business (or B2B) format, plays a role in fueling the local economy.
We opened the first Walmart-branded store on African soil Nov. 22, 2025, to bring our signature Every Day Low Prices to more people.
Learn more about Walmart in Africa.
