Positive result

Wal-Mart completed the third quarter of 2009 with sales 1.1 per cent up on the previous year to US $ 98.7 bn. Growth is on record both at Wal-Mart USA (+1.2 per cent) and abroad (+1.6 per cent). Only at Sam’s Club did sales go down by 0.7 per cent. Despite the financial crisis, the world’s biggest retailer reports a pre-tax profit for the third quarter up 5.8 per cent to US $ 5.12 bn. In the first nine months Wal-Mart’s sales came to US $ 292.2 bn, which amounts to a decline of 0.3 per cent on the same period last year. Pre-tax profit increased by 1.8 per cent to US $ 15.28 bn.