international operations
walmart's entry into the international retail arena had been somewhat recent.As late as 1992,walmart's entire international operations consisted of only 162,535 square feet of retail space in mexico.
walmart international revenue came from only three countries :canada ,Mexico, the united kingdom
walmart had tried a varity of approaches and faced a diverse set of challenges in the different countries it entered.Entry into international markets has ranged from greenfield development to franchising,joint ventures,and acquisitions.Each country that walmart had entered has presented new and unique challenges.
In china,walmart had to deal with a backward supply chain.
In japan , it had to negotiate an environment that was hostile to large chains and protective of its small retailers.strong foreign competitors were the problem in Brazil and Argentina.
Labor unions had plagued Walmart's entry into Germany along with unforeseen difficulties in integrating acquisition.
Mistakes in choosing store locations had hampered the company in south korea and hong kong.