Who is the richest man in the world?

The British "Sunday Times" published a ranking of the world's richest people, selecting the fifty richest people in the world. The world's richest man once again was won by the Walton family, which controls Wal-Mart supermarkets. Bill Gates, who has been named the world's richest man by Forbes for 11 consecutive years, is only ranked second, and the third place is "Stock God" Buffett. British-Indian steel magnate Mittal ranked sixth.

Small stores create the richest family

When it comes to Robson Walton, we have to start with his father, Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart.

When "Fortune" magazine began to select the world's top 500 companies in 1955, Wal-Mart did not exist. Half a century later, Wal-Mart has become a retail giant that ranks first among the Fortune 500 companies.

Forty years ago, Wal-Mart was just a mom-and-pop store in a small town in Kansas, USA. Now, Wal-Mart has 1,702 traditional chain stores, 952 supermarkets, 479 "Sam's Club" stores, and 20 "neighborhood market" grocery stores in the United States. In addition, there are 1,088 chain stores in other countries. The company employs 1.14 million people, forming an extremely powerful "Wal-Mart Empire".

In October 1985, "Forbes" magazine ranked Sam Walton at the top of the list of the richest people in the United States. Sam's and Wal-Mart stores became the focus of public attention across the United States overnight. A large number of reporters flocked to Sam's residence. However, they couldn't help but be disappointed when they saw the richest man in the United States living the simplest life: Sam wore a set of cheap clothes sold in his own store and drove a dilapidated small cargo truck to and from get off work. He also installed a dog cage for hunting dogs and wore a discounted baseball cap.

It is such a "country bumpkin" who created a wealth myth. By 2001, the total wealth of the Walton family reached US$93.1 billion, making them the richest family in the world. Sam’s wife and daughter are among the top 10 women in the world’s billionaire list. The names of five members of the Sam family have appeared on this list for many years.

Sam Walton was born in 1918 in a small town in Arkansas, USA. Sam's family was not wealthy when he was a child, which led him to develop the habit of thrift. In 1936, Sam entered the University of Missouri to pursue a bachelor's degree in economics and served as president of the university's student body. After serving in the army after World War II, Sam returned to his hometown and borrowed US$20,000 from his father-in-law. In addition to the US$5,000 Sam had saved while serving in the army, he and his wife Helen rented several houses in Newport and opened a small store. , specializing in items priced at 5 to 10 cents each. Because Sam is so kind to others, residents nearby are willing to come to his store to buy things.

In 1950, the Sams sold the store for twice the amount of their investment and moved to Bentonville, Arkansas, where they opened a new store. Although the new mall is a franchise store of the Ben Franklin chain store, the Waltons named it after their family's surname: Walton Family Stores. By 1962, they had 15 department stores under their name. That year, Sam and his brother James finally opened their first store of their own - Wal-Mart in Rogers City, Arkansas.

Wal-Mart was very successful from the beginning. In its first year, the Bentonville store's sales had reached $700,000. In 1964, Wal-Mart already had 5 chain stores, which increased to 18 stores in 1969. Wal-Mart gives priority to small and medium-sized cities and large villages and towns. The business model is the same: low profits, small inventory, large-volume purchases, more efforts on costs and active use of information tools.

Sam opened his store with the belief that "as long as the store can provide the most complete range of goods and the best service, customers will flock to it." He put forward two requirements to his employees: "The sun goes down." and "Ten Feet Attitude." "The sun goes down" means that every employee must complete their tasks for the day before the sun goes down, and if a customer makes a request, they must satisfy the customer before the sun goes down; "Ten-foot attitude" means that when a customer walks into the employee Within 10 feet, employees must proactively ask customers what they want and must look customers in the eye when speaking.

In addition, he also proposed ten business rules: operate with all your heart and work harder than others; share profits with colleagues; motivate your colleagues; discuss everything with colleagues; appreciate colleagues' contributions to the company; celebrate successes. Don't lose hope when you fail; listen to everyone in the company; exceed your customers' expectations and they'll come back again; keep costs lower than your competitors; swim against the tide, go a different route, and let go of conventional wisdom.

Sam has experienced the hardships of life since he was a child, and the concept of "valuing every dollar" has been deeply ingrained in his mind, which has a great impact on the business style he later formed. No impact. He said: "We work together, and that's the secret. We lower the cost of living for every customer. We want to give the world a chance to see what it means to improve everyone's lives through savings."

The stingy upstart

In 1992, Sam passed away. According to his will, his shares were divided among his wife, three sons and a daughter. In the same year, Sam's family released his autobiography "Sam Walton: Made in America", which explained the secret of his success, to the world. The book quickly became a best-seller in the United States.

Perhaps Sam's son was the most thorough reader of this book. Sam once warned his children and grandchildren in the book: If anyone dares to sell what is a "toy" to many rich people, he will take this person to hell. Walton Sr.'s sons all inherited their father's frugal character. Large American companies generally have luxurious offices, but Jim Walton's office is only 20 square meters, and Robson Walton's office is only 12 square meters, and the furnishings in their offices are also very simple. Many people describe Wal-Mart as "the 'poor man' opens a store and the poor buys it."

Robson Walton has served as chairman of Wal-Mart Department Store for 11 years. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Obtained a master's degree from Columbia University Law School in 1969. He once served as vice president, general counsel and vice chairman of Wal-Mart Department Store.

As the eldest of the four children in the Walton family, Robson obtained a driver's license as soon as he became an adult, and then delivered goods to various retail outlets at night, greatly saving his father's transportation costs. At that time, all four children began to help their father work. Unlike children of the same age, adults do not give them pocket money, but they can earn it themselves. They knelt on store floors mopping floors, patched leaky roofs, and helped unload trucks at night. The father paid them the same wages as the workers. Robson Walton now recalled that his father asked them to turn part of their income into shares in the store. After the store business prospered, the children's meager investment turned into a large amount of primary capital. By the time he graduated from college, Robson was able to buy a house with his own money and furnish it with luxurious furniture.

In April 1992, the experienced Robson became the chairman of Wal-Mart, injecting fresh blood into Wal-Mart's development. According to the U.S. service industry ranking list published by Fortune magazine in May 1994, Wal-Mart's sales in 1993 reached US$67.34 billion, an increase of more than US$11.8 billion over the previous year, surpassing the number one company in 1992. Sears Department Store ranks first in the U.S. retail industry. In 1995, Wal-Mart's sales continued to grow and set a world record in the retail industry, achieving annual sales of US$93.6 billion, and ranking fourth on Fortune magazine's 1995 list of the largest US companies. In 2001, Wal-Mart jumped to second place in the Fortune 500. In fact, Wal-Mart's annual sales are equivalent to the sum of all department stores in the United States, and it still maintains a strong momentum of development.

In addition to adhering to his father's established business philosophy, Robson also attaches great importance to relying on information technology to develop Wal-Mart. The famous Walmart database is the largest civilian database in the world. With the help of this information system, Wal-Mart has established close ties with its suppliers. From placing an order on the computer to putting the goods on the shelves, Wal-Mart stores are on average 3 days faster than competitors, saving 2.5% in costs. Between 1996 and 1999, Wal-Mart's sales increased 78%, while inventory rose only 24%. Today, Wal-Mart is not satisfied with sales in 4,000 stores. It has also moved its front to the Internet, using e-commerce to further expand its territory to every corner of the world.

Robson, who has become the world's richest man, has not forgotten his father's teachings. Like his father, Robson is a very frugal person.

He lives in seclusion and drives an old trailer. A barber said: "I have given Walton a haircut 85 times and he has never given me a penny more." There is not a single photo of Robson on the Walmart website. The billionaire does not speak to reporters, and his press secretary declined to answer questions about Walton's personal life. The Sunday Times asked Wal-Mart headquarters in 2001 three questions about Robson's private life: where does Robson live now; does he travel frequently; and does he own a yacht. Not only did the newspaper not get any answers, but it was reminded by a Wal-Mart spokesperson: It would be better to ask questions related to the business.

News background

About Wal-Mart

Sam Walton founded the company in 1962 and opened the first Wal-Mart department store in Rogers City, Arkansas

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was established on October 31, 1969

In 1970, the company headquarters and first distribution center were established in Bentonville, Arkansas

1972 Wal-Mart's stock was approved to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1983. The first Sam's Club store was opened in Midwest City, Oklahoma. 1987 Wal-Mart's satellite The network is completed and is the largest private satellite system in the United States

In 1988, the first Wal-Mart shopping mall opened in Washington, Missouri

In 1990, Wal-Mart became the largest retailer in the United States

In 1991, Wal-Mart store opened in Mexico City, and Wal-Mart began to enter overseas markets

On April 5, 1992, Mr. Sam Walton passed away, and on April 7, S. Robertson Walton Served as chairman of the company's board of directors

In 1993, Wal-Mart's international department was established

In December 1993, weekly sales reached US$1 billion for the first time

In 1997, Wal-Mart's stock became Dow Jones Industrial Average Stock

In 1997, Wal-Mart's annual sales exceeded 100 billion US dollars for the first time, reaching 105 billion US dollars

In 2000, it was ranked among the "World's Most Admired Companies" by Fortune magazine "Ranked 5th in "Fortune" magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies" in 2001.

In 2001, the single-day sales hit a record, on Thanksgiving Day Reaching 1.25 billion US dollars the next day

Answer: wuzhenyu110 - Manager Level 5 5-1 02:14

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