Key Trends Impacting Wal-Mart
Here we take a look at key trends affecting Wal-Mart’s (NYSE:WMT) equity value, from store remodeling to e-commerce initiatives. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, competes with other big-name retailers like Target (NYSE:TGT), Costco (NASDAQ:COST), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Best Buy (NYSE:BBY).
Our price estimate for Wal-Mart stands at $74.46, implying a roughly 35% premium to market price.
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Shifting Focus From Store Expansion to Capital Efficiency in Domestic Market
Wal-Mart has been pushing forward in a massive store remodeling project and expects to remodel about 70% of its stores by 2012. Management has indicated that future Wal-Mart stores will occupy 8% less space, cost 16% less and will run more efficiently.
Threat of Self-Cannibalization Due to Massive Size
Like any retailer, Wal-Mart’s long-term sales and income growth depend largely on the company’s ability to open new stores and expand into new markets. However, due to Wal-Mart’s size, it runs the risk of cannibalizing its own sales figures in the U.S., effectively competing with itself for market share.
Push into Electronics
Since the closure of Circuit City in 2009, Wal-Mart has intensified its push into electronics in order to capture the market share left up for grabs. To do so, the retailer has been training its staff and offering discounts. Recent reports indicate that, during the last quarter of 2010, retailers like Wal-Mart and Amazon gained consumer electronics market share while Best Buy lost some.
E-Commerce
E-Commerce growth has been fueled by increasing internet usage, better online portals that enable easy search and buy functionality, increased mobile internet usage and only shopping promotion. Wal-Mart has certainly been promoting online sales, but it will be interesting to see the extent to which it can discount given its already-discounted product offerings. Ultimately, the impact should flow through to profit margins.