What distance components (relative to the US) do American retailers face in Germany? Give examples. How did these distance components affect the exploitation of Wal-Mart’s FSAs transferred to Germany? Case 4.2 Wal-Mart’s retreat from Germany: how distance made the replication of a domestically successful model impossible20 US-based Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retail firm, announced in 2006 that it would sell its 85 stores in Germany to its German rival Metro, after nine years of struggle there. Why did Wal-Mart’s successful US retail model fail in Germany?