Wal-Mart Stores reported net sales for the four-week period ending October 29, 2004, of $21.042 billion, an increase of 10.4% over the $19.066 billion in the same four-week period in the prior year. Sales for the
thirty-nine week period were $203.045 billion, an increase of 11.4% over $182.312 billion in the similar period in the prior year.
The Wal-Mart Division's sales for the four-week period were
$13.915 billion, up 9.4 percent over sales of $12.720 billion in the same
four-week period in the prior year. The Division's sales for the thirty-nine
weeks of $135.973 billion were up 10.0 percent over $123.578 billion in the
similar prior-year period.
SAM'S CLUB sales for the four-week period were $2.816 billion, up
6.8 percent over sales of $2.637 billion in the same four-week period in the
prior year. Club sales for the thirty-nine weeks of $27.052 billion were up
8.3 percent over the $24.980 billion in the similar prior-year period.
The International Division's sales for the four-week period were
$4.311 billion, up 16.2 percent over sales of $3.709 billion in the same four-
week period in the prior year. The Division's sales for the thirty-nine weeks
of $40.020 billion were up 18.6 percent over the $33.754 billion in the
similar prior-year period.
Comparable sales for the periods ending October 29, 2004 and
October 31, 2003, were as follows:
4 Weeks 39 Weeks
This Year Last Year This Year Last Year
Wal-Mart 2.4 % 4.0 % 3.1 % 3.7 %
SAM'S CLUB 5.0 % 7.0 % 6.9 % 4.6 %
Total U.S. 2.8 % 4.5 % 3.7 % 3.8 %
For the November four-week period, we forecast comparative sales for the
U.S. to be up in the 2 to 4 percent range.
Although sales for the quarter were below our original plan, gross margin
exceeded our forecast and a change in our effective tax rate resulting
primarily from the retroactive renewal of the work opportunity tax credit will
result in earnings for the fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2004 coming in at
the high end of our forecasted range of $0.52 to $0.54.
