Wal-Mart to expand IT staffing, sourcing from India

NEW DELHI, February 20, 2008 : Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. today announced that it will be expanding staffing of some elements of IT application maintenance and development with some of India's leading information technology firms, while hiring hundreds of new positions in Northwest Arkansas this year. India is one of several countries that the company is targeting as part of its remote sourcing model for IT activities. The global expansion will encompass projects that range from the tactical to the strategic in order to provide necessary support for the company's growing business around the globe.

"Wal-Mart relies on information to run our business and technology as the enabler to meet our customers' needs. Today IT is truly a global business and as we deepen our relationship with India it only made sense that we take advantage of the 24-hour development cycle that India offers," said Michael T. Duke, Vice Chairman, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

"By leveraging global talent and 'following the sun' to take advantage of every hour of the day, we can deliver IT solutions to Wal-Mart's global businesses more quickly and efficiently," said Rollin Ford, Wal-Mart Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. "As our remote sourcing model continues to evolve, we are pleased with the expertise of our business partners here and expect India to clearly be a key strategic partner in this area given its impressive IT capability."

As innovations in technology position Wal-Mart to better serve customers, hundreds of additional IT professionals also are being added at the company's campus in Northwest Arkansas. The positions involve a wide variety of projects to support domestic as well as global operations.

Duke and Ford are in India on a routine business visit to get a first hand understanding on the progress of Wal-Mart's joint venture with Bharti Enterprises for a cash-and-carry venture that will serve retailers, manufacturers and farmers. The venture will provide retailers -- kirana stores, fruit and vegetable resellers, restaurants and other business owners -- with a wide range of quality products at competitive wholesale prices that will help them enhance their businesses and profitability.

"As we've studied the existing supply chain infrastructure in India we have been amazed by what we have learned," Duke said. "It's a system that works. Yet, there is a need for increased efficiencies that can help minimize wastage, particularly of fresh foods and vegetables. Our goal is to work with India's existing supply chain infrastructure and improve efficiency to minimize wastage and maximize value for farmers and manufacturers as well as retailers. We can help cut the waste, not the middlemen who can play a very important part in the entire supply chain."

The venture is expected to open 10 to 15 wholesale cash-and-carry facilities and employ approximately 5,000 people over the next seven years. A typical facility will stand between 50,000 and 100,000 square feet and sell a wide range of fruits and vegetables, groceries and staples, stationery, footwear, clothing, consumer durables and other general merchandise items to retailers.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam's Club locations in the United States. The Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. Wal-Mart serves more than 176 million customers weekly in 14 markets. The Company's securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT. For more information: www.walmartfacts.com.