Wal-Martenjoyeda50percentmarketsharepositioninthediscountretail
industry. procterl& Gambie, Clorox, and Johnson & Johnson were among its
nearl 3,000 suppliers. Though Wal-Mart may have been the top customer for
consumer product manufacturers, it deliberately ensured it did not become too
dependent on any one supplier; no single- vendor constituted more than 4 per-cent
of it. overali prrrchase volume. Further, WaI-Mart had persuaded its suppliers
to have electronic "hook-ups" with its stores'