Walmart's Legal Name Change Reflects Realities of Business

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — To accurately reflect its status as an omni-channel retailer, Walmart will change the company's legal name from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to Walmart Inc. effective Feb. 1, 2018.

The change demonstrates Walmart's growing emphasis on serving customers seamlessly however they want to shop, whether that's in stores, online, on their mobile device or through pickup and delivery, the company said.

"Our customers know us as Walmart and today they shop with us not only in our stores, but online and with our app as well," said Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon. "While our legal name is used in a limited number of places, we felt it was best to have a name that was consistent with the idea that you can shop us however you like as a customer.

"Looking ahead, we'll continue to invest in and strengthen our stores around the world and expand our e-commerce capabilities as we help save customers' time and money. As time goes on, customers will increasingly just think of and see one Walmart," he added.

Walmart will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange as WMT following the name change.

Based in Bentonville, Walmart currently operates under nearly 60 different banners around the world, including e-commerce sites. It has more than 11,600 stores and clubs in 28 countries.