BENTONVILLE, Ark., Jan. 6 -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) reported net sales for the five-week and forty-eight week periods ending December 31, 2004, and January 2, 2004 as follows (dollars in billions):
5 Weeks 48 Weeks
Ended Ended
Percent Percent
12-31-2004 1-2-2004 Change 12-31-2004 1-2-2004 Change
Wal-Mart
Stores $26.177 $23.345 12.1 % $177.889 $161.687 10.0 %
SAM'S CLUB 4.396 4.078 7.8 % 34.441 31.900 8.0 %
International 7.851 6.473 21.3 % 52.683 44.278 19.0 %
Total
Company $38.424 $33.896 13.4 % $265.013 $237.865 11.4 %
Comparable sales for the periods ending December 31, 2004 and January 2, 2004, were as follows:
5 Weeks 48 Weeks
This Year Last Year This Year Last Year
Wal-Mart Stores 2.6 % 3.9 % 2.8 % 3.7 %
SAM'S CLUB 5.4 % 6.1 % 6.3 % 4.9 %
Total U.S. 3.0 % 4.3 % 3.4 % 3.9 %
For the January four-week period, we forecast comparative sales for the U.S. to be up in the 2 to 4 percent range.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates in all fifty states. Internationally, the Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Wal-Mart also owns approximately 37% of The Seiyu, Ltd. ("Seiyu") with warrants to purchase up to approximately 69% of that company by the end of December 2007.
The Company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. View additional information about the Company on our website at http://www.walmartstores.com or shop with us on-line at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.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 that are intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by that Act. This forward- looking statement, which discusses our management's forecast of comparable sales for the January four-week period, appears in the paragraph immediately following the comparable sales table in this release. It is identified by use of the word "forecast". 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 the forward-looking statements. As a result of these matters, including changes in facts, assumptions not being realized or other circumstances, our actual comparable sales for the January four-week period may differ materially from forecast comparable sales discussed in the forward- looking statement. The forward-looking statement included in this release is made only as of the date of this report, 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 Jay Fitzsimmons, 1-479-273-6445
or Pauline Tureman 1-479-277-9558
or media relations, Gus Whitcomb, 1-479-273-4314
all of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Web site: http://www.walmartstores.com
http://www.walmart.com
http://www.samsclub.com