BENTONVILLE, Ark., May 4 -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) reported net sales for the 4-week and 13-week periods ending April 28, 2006, and April 29, 2005, respectively as follows (dollars in billions):
4 Weeks Ended 13 Weeks Ended
Percent Percent
4-28-2006 4-29-2005 Change 4-28-2006 4-29-2005 Change
Wal-Mart Stores $16.864 $14.829 13.7% $53.468 $48.646 9.9%
SAM'S CLUB 3.122 2.943 6.1% 9.943 9.329 6.6%
International 5.885 4.530 29.9% 18.113 14.671 23.5%
Total Company $25.871 $22.302 16.0% $81.524 $72.646 12.2%
Comparable sales for the periods ending April 28, 2006, and April 29,
2005, were as follows:
4 Weeks Ended 13 Weeks Ended
4-28-2006 4-29-2005 4-28-2006 4-29-2005
Wal-Mart Stores 7.3% 0.1% 3.4% 3.0%
SAM'S CLUB 3.8% 3.4% 4.3% 2.3%
Total U.S. 6.8% 0.7% 3.6% 2.9%
Due to the Easter shift and SAM'S CLUB being closed on Easter, sales for the SAM'S CLUB segment contained one less day than last year.
The 29.9% increase for the 4-week period and the 23.5% increase for the 13-week period in International includes the impact of three transactions in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2006. These transactions include:
* the consolidation of The Seiyu, Ltd., of which Wal-Mart now owns
approximately 53%.
* the purchase of Sonae Distribuicao Brasil, S.A., now referred to as
Southern Brazil.
* the purchase of one-third of the Central American Retail Holding
Company, or CARHCO. The Company now owns 51% of that company, which is
now operated as Wal-Mart Central America.
"With a 6.8 comp in April, we were pleased with strong seasonal sales for Easter," said Tom Schoewe, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. executive vice president and chief financial officer. "Rising fuel costs were overshadowed by the customers' response to merchandise in apparel for the entire family and consumables.
"April was a strong month for toys, from traditional items like dolls, balls and outdoor toys to electronics," Schoewe said. "We have seen customers buying more toys, video games, music and movies, in addition to candy, to fill Easter baskets."
Schoewe added that during the 4-week and 13-week periods, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. increased its sales by more than $3.5 billion and $8.8 billion, respectively.
The Company estimates comparable sales in the U.S. for the May 4-week period to be in the 2 to 4% range.
Comparable sales that are presented in this release exclude the impact of fuel sales in our SAM'S CLUB segment. Fuel sales impacted the SAM'S CLUB and total U.S. comparable sales figures for the 4-week period ending April 28, 2006, by 0.6 and 0.0 percentage points, respectively, and impacted the 13-week period by 0.5 and 0.1 percentage points, respectively. Including the impact of fuel sales, the SAM'S CLUB and total U.S. comparable sales figures for the 4-week period ending April 28, 2006, would have been 4.4% and 6.8%, respectively, and for the 13-week period would have been 4.8% and 3.7%, respectively.
Wal-Mart's earnings release for the first fiscal quarter is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, 2006 before the NYSE opens. The dial-in number for management's pre-recorded discussion of the release and related matters is 203-369-1090 and will be available for 36 hours after quarterly earnings are announced. The information from this pre-recorded phone call will also be available on our website at http://www.walmartstores.com/earnings .
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations in the United States. The Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting http://www.walmartfacts.com . Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com .
This release contains a statement that Wal-Mart believes is a "forward- looking statement" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and that is intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by that Act. This forward- looking statement discusses our management's forecast of comparable sales for the May 4-week period. This statement is identified by use of the word "estimates". This forward-looking statement is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, domestically and internationally, including, consumer spending patterns and debt levels, weather conditions, competitive pressures, currency exchange fluctuations, trade restrictions, and other risks. We discuss certain of these matters more fully in our filings with the SEC, including our last annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. This release should be read in conjunction with that annual report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC through the date of this report. We urge you to consider all of these risks, uncertainties and other factors carefully in evaluating this forward-looking statement. As a result of these matters, including changes in facts, assumptions not being realized or other circumstances, our actual comparable sales for the May 4-week period may differ materially from the estimate discussed in the forward-looking statement. The forward-looking statement included in this release is made only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking statement to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
SOURCE: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
CONTACT: Investor Relations, +1-479-273-8446, or
Carol Schumacher, +1-479-277-1498, or Pauline Tureman, +1-479-277-9558, or
media relations, Marty Heires, +1-479-273-4314,
all of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Photo:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010831/WALMARTLOGO
Web site:
http://www.walmartstores.com
http://www.walmartstores.com/earnings
http://www.walmartstores.com/news
http://www.walmartfacts.com
http://www.walmart.com
