Breakout Sessions
December 7 & 9, 2010
Walmart International Workshop
The many and rapid changes that have impacted Walmart’s Corporate staff since the shift of Castro-Wright to Global.com may be having impact on the International business. For years the fastest growing part of the company, they have absorbed the Central American JV into Walmart de Mexico and purchased the Netto chain of small stores in the UK. Overall, their trend towards small store, financial services, and non-Walmart banner stores continues. And, having just filled the position in Russia for the “Company to Be Named Later”…does it mean that Walmart is finally moving into the remaining BRIC countries? Understanding Walmart’s international scale and operations will enhance your positioning and planning. In this class, we will discuss:
- The Regional Lead Position—The sudden departures of Craig Herkert, Vicente Trius, and Stephan Fanderl threw the concept of regional management into doubt. With the very strong appointments of Eduardo Solórzano and Scott Price, is the position being re-established? If so, what does that mean to your regional sales strategy?
- The Rise of Walmex—With Eduardo Solórzano taking on the CEO of Latin America position…and Walmart de Mexico buying out the partially owned Walmart Centroamerica, should we expect additional growth into new countries by way of divisions such as ASDA or D&S? Clearly, he has already impacted Walmart Brasil with the recent changeover of the CEO and the senior management team.
- Walmart in Asia—Walmart bet that Japan would change to understand and appreciate their value to the market and it appears to be the case. Should we expect changes in the overall Asian market?
- The Possibility of a True Global.com—The push behind a uniform online presence received a much needed boost with the shift of Eduardo Castro-Wright to head the division. If operations of online do become more centralized, are you prepared to offer a multi-regional multi-channel strategy?
- Post-Modern Market Growth—Canada and the UK are facing strong headwinds in regards to growing top line sales. Walmart may need to shift drastically to continue growing in two of their largest, yet most challenging, markets. What will such changes mean to your business?