Walmart to Change Its Legal Name

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will change its legal name to Walmart Inc., effective Feb. 1, 2018. The change is intended to reflect the company’s growing emphasis on serving customers seamlessly through all modes of shopping, including in-store, online, mobile devices or pickup and delivery services, the company said in a statement.

“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 Doug McMillon, president and CEO at the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer, in a statement. “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.”

Walmart plans to continue to invest and strengthen its stores globally, while expanding its e-commerce capabilities to help customers save time and money, McMillon said. “As time goes on, customers will increasingly just think of and see one Walmart.”

Walmart’s formal legal name was Wal-Mart Inc. when it incorporated on Oct. 31, 1969. It was changed to Wal-Mart Stores Inc., on Jan. 9, 1970 and has remained in place for the past 47 years since the company went public that same year. Walmart has been using its current logo in its operations since June 2008.

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Walmart operates under nearly 60 different banners around the world, including e-commerce sites, and has more than 11,600 stores and clubs in 28 countries. The company opened its first international location in Mexico City in 1991 and launched Walmart.com in 2000. Walmart will continue to trade on the NYSE as WMT, and the company name should be referenced as Walmart.