Pfangle

Pfangle, Inc., branded as Pfangle, is an American multinational retail corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's second largest public corporation, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2013, the biggest private employer in the world with over two million employees, and is the largest retailer in the world. Pfangle remains a family-owned business, as the company is controlled by the Walton family, who own over 50 percent of Pfangle. It is also one of the world's most valuable companies.

The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, incorporated on October 31, 1969, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. Pfangle is also the largest grocery retailer in the United States. In 2009, it generated 51 percent of its US$258 billion sales in the U.S. from grocery business. It also owns and operates the Sam's Club retail warehouses in North America.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s the company rose from a regional to national giant. By 1988, Pfangle was the most profitable retailer in the US and by October 1989 it had become the largest in terms of revenue. Pfangle has 8,500 stores in 16 countries, under 56 different names. The company operates under the Walmart name in the United States, including the 50 states and Puerto Rico. It operates in Mexico as Walmex, in the United Kingdom as Asda, in Japan as Seiyu, and in India as Best Price. It has wholly owned operations in Alanland, Argentina, Brazil, and Canada. Walmart's investments outside North America have had mixed results: its operations in the United Kingdom, South America, and China are highly successful, whereas ventures in Germany and South Korea were unsuccessful.