WAL-MART
Wal-Mart operates retail stores in various formats worldwide. The company's Walmart U.S. segment offers meat, produce, deli, bakery, dairy, frozen foods, floral, and dry grocery; health and beauty aids, household chemicals, paper goods, and pet supplies; electronics, cameras and supplies, photo processing services, cellular phones, cellular service plan contracts, and prepaid service and toys; fabrics and crafts, stationery and books, automotive accessories, hardware and paint, horticulture and accessories, sporting goods, outdoor entertaining, and seasonal merchandise; apparel, shoes, and jewelry; pharmacy and optical services; and home furnishings, housewares, and small appliances through discount stores, supercenters, and neighborhood markets, as well as through walmart.com. Its International segment includes various formats of retail stores and restaurants, including combination discount and grocery stores, supercenters, Sam's Clubs, hypermarkets, cash-n-carry stores, department stores, and general merchandise stores. The company's Sam's Club segment offers merchandise, including hardgoods, softgoods, institutional-size grocery items, and selected private-label items under the MEMBER'S MARK, BAKERS & CHEFS, and SAM'S CLUB brands through warehouse membership clubs in the United States, as well as through samsclub.com. As of January 31, 2009, it operated 891 discount stores, 2,612 super centers, 153 Neighborhood Markets, and 602 Sam's Clubs in the United States; and 28 units in Argentina, 345 in Brazil, 318 in Canada, 197 in Chile, 164 in Costa Rica, 77 in El Salvador, 160 in Guatemala, 50 in Honduras, 371 in Japan, 1,197 in Mexico, 51 in Nicaragua, 56 in Puerto Rico, and 358 in the United Kingdom, as well as 243 stores through a of joint ventures. The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Bentonville, Arkansas.
APPLE INC.
Together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication devices, and portable digital music and video players, as well as sells various related software, services, peripherals, and networking solutions. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells various third-party Macintosh, iPhone, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and various other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores, and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative customers. As of September 26, 2009, it had 273 retail stores, including 217 stores in the United States and 56 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.