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Week 1 Grading Guide Grading Guide Content - 70 Percent Points= 3.5 Students must have selected an American corporation and visited its corporate website to download the Income Statement, Statement of Stockholders Equity, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows. Determines the amount of net income for the current fiscal year and how it changed from the prior year, and then answers the question, \"why is this information important to investors?\" Determines the ending balance in stockholders equity for the current fiscal year and shares why this information may be important to a labor union representing company employees Determines the total amount of assets for the company and shares why this information may be important to potential creditors Determines the total cash flows from operations and shares which type of financial statement user may be most interested in that information Total Content Points Earned 0 Comments Writing Guidlines - 30 Percent Points= 1.5 The paperincluding tables and graphs, headings, title page, and reference pageis consistent with APA formatting guidelines and meets course-level requirements. Intellectual property is recognized with in-text citations and a reference page. Paragraph and sentence transitions are present, logical, and maintain the flow throughout the paper. The paper is no more than 1,000 words in length. Spelling and grammar rules are observed Total Writing Guideline Points Earned 0 Total Assignment Points 0 Total Pts Earned as a % of Total Pts Available 0 Comments Select an American corporation. Visit its website and download the Income Statement, Statement of Stockholders Equity, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows. Complete the University of Phoenix Material: Financial Statement Review Worksheet. Submit the completed worksheet, copies of the downloaded financial statements, and a link to the website. Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment. University of Phoenix Material Financial Statement Review What is the net income for the current fiscal year? Is it up or down from the prior year? Why would this information be important to investors? What is the ending balance in stockholders' equity? Why would a labor union potentially be interested in this information? What is the total value of assets? Why would this information be important to a potential creditor? What is the total cash flow from operation? What financial statement user would find this information most important? One mission: 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_CVRS.indd 2 4/10/13 2:04 PM A history of delivering strong results More than Approximately Approximately 10,700 245M 75 retail units operated in 27 countries customers served weekly in our stores in 27 countries of U.S. store operations management joined Walmart as hourly associates Increase of Increase of More than 59% 123% $ in earnings per share(1) in free cash flow(1)(2) % 60B returned to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases(1) (1) Data reflects five-year period from fiscal 2009 through 2013. (2) \u0007 ree cash flow is a non-GAAP measure. Net cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations is the closest GAAP measure to free cash flow. Reconciliations F and other information regarding free cash flow and its closest GAAP measure can be found in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in this Annual Report and on our website at www.stock.walmart.com. About the cover: Regardless of the market where we operate, the retail format or the website, Walmart serves customers with one core mission: to help people save money so they can live better. 137073_L01_CVRS.indd 3 To learn more about Walmart's business strategies and company mission, please visit our electronic report at www.stock.walmart.com. You'll hear from manage ent, m associates and customers about our business. 4/10/13 2:04 PM Many of Walmart's most innovative ideas originate from the insights of associates across our global operations. Michael T. Duke President and Chief Executive Officer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. To our shareholders, associates and customers Over the last few years, I've shared with you how we would build the \"Next Generation Walmart\" and serve the \"Next Generation customer.\" This came from a belief that the major trends shaping our world are also driving significant change in the retail landscape - the emerging global middle class, the faster adoption of mobile technology, rising energy prices and many others. At Walmart today, we have never had more clarity around what the world is going to look like, and what it will take to win with the customer we care so much about. We've developed and executed strategies that are delivering results, which I'll highlight in this message. Just as important, however, are the key strategic areas where we are especially focused and accelerating. Financial results and key strategies Last year, Walmart delivered a really good financial performance. Our earnings per share increased 10.6 percent to $5.02. With the addition of $22 billion in net sales, we are now a $466 billion company. Our operating income was up 4.7 percent to $27.8 billion. We also grew free cash flow 18.1 percent to $12.7 billion. All of this enabled our company to return $13 billion to shareholders in dividends and share repurchases. In fact, Walmart shareholders enjoyed the best overall return in stock performance and dividends for our company this year than in more than a decade. This success was made possible by the contributions of our 2.2 million fantastic associates around the world and their commitment to saving people money so they can live better. When it comes to our operating segments, Walmart U.S. is as strong as it has ever been. Last year, we opened our 4,000th U.S. location and added more than $10 billion in net sales, including $4.7 billion in comp sales growth. We had positive comp performance and grew market share in a number of our largest categories. Walmart International continues to be the growth engine for our company, contributing nearly 30 percent of consolidated net sales, while adding 19 million square feet of new retail space. Improving returns in Walmart International remains a top priority. Sam's Club continues to drive sales, delivering more than $56 billion in net sales with fuel, a 4.9 percent increase over last year. With membership engagement scores at record levels, we're continuing to focus on driving value to our members. Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 1 || 1 4/5/13 11:50 PM At Walmart, we're excited about the progress in our business and have confidence in the strategies we're executing in each operating segment. I feel very good about the areas where we are strategically focused, and we are prepared to accelerate these efforts. We're delivering on the productivity loop and being even more disciplined about operating expenses and capital spending. We're investing to serve more customers globally, especially in e-commerce. We're putting a major effort into making sure we have the best retail talent at We're also applying this same discipline to capital expenditures. We've reduced total remodeling costs for Walmart U.S. 50 percent over the past two years and are lowering construction costs around the world. Last year, we invested $12.9 billion to add 34.6 million square feet of retail space. We're also better matching our systems investments to the size of the retail box and the need of the market. Whether it's expense leverage or capital discipline, Walmart is accelerating the productivity loop to drive prices even lower for our customers. Delivering a seamless shopping experience By bringing together best-in-class online, mobile and social capabilities and our over 10,700 stores, we are building what no other retailer - online or otherwise - can. We can offer customers a truly seamless experience that empowers them to shop in the way most convenient for them - anytime and anywhere. Over the past year, we've made significant investments in talent and technology to accelerate progress toward this vision. Exceptional customer service is a key contributor to Walmart Canada's strong market position. every level of our organization. And we're taking our model for making a difference and applying it in new ways to some of society's toughest challenges. One success is our new search engine for walmart.com, which delivers more relevant results to online shoppers and led to increased sales conversions. We're also testing some great innovations, such as same-day delivery of purchases from our U.S. website. We just expanded mobile self-checkout through our Scan and Go app. Perhaps most important to our growth plans, we've launched a multi-year process to build the next generation global technology platform. By More often, I see customers using a mobile phone to check the price of an item. The era of price transparency is right here, right now and in real time. We welcome Walmart being a showroom for online shoppers. This may surprise some people, but because we're really churning the productivity loop, we have a lot of open road ahead. If we offer the right assortment, the lowest prices and the best experience, customers choose Walmart whenever and wherever they shop. Walmart has now leveraged operating expenses for a third consecutive year. In fact, every operating segment grew sales faster than expenses. We continue to invest savings into lower prices and improving returns. I'm pleased with the progress we've made with innovations around workforce planning, on-shelf availability and sourcing. These areas - and many others - are key priorities for our management teams. We're on track to meeting our goal to reduce operating expenses as a percentage of sales by at least 100 basis points by fiscal 2017. 2 || At Sam's Club, exciting merchandise at great values drives strong member engagement. having the ability to connect every product in the world with every customer in the world, we'll be able to accelerate our expansion of e-commerce operations. Right now, we Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 2 4/5/13 11:50 PM have growing online businesses in 10 countries and are well positioned in markets that offer the greatest growth potential - the U.S., the U.K., Brazil and China. I'm particularly encouraged Every day our talented associates deliver the operational efficiencies that make possible Walmart's EDLP. by our increased investment in Yihaodian, which has strengthened our ability to capitalize on the vast potential in the Chinese e-commerce market. Talent is key to success To execute these and other strategies vital to our long-term success, we must recruit, develop and retain the absolute best talent at every level of our organization. That means executives, managers and front-line associates that traditionally make up the ranks of a major retailer. But we also need entrepreneurs, technology specialists, data scientists and consumer Internet professionals. Today, Walmart has more than 2,500 associates with these skills in Silicon Valley, Brazil, India and China. They are some of the most inspired and inspiring associates anywhere in our company. Nothing makes me prouder of Walmart than when I hear about the opportunity we provide to our associates. It's amazing to think that in our Walmart U.S. business, approximately 75 percent of our store operations management started their careers as hourly associates. I especially love hearing from our front-line associates and talking with them about their ideas for how we can serve our customers even better. Our senior leadership team is the best in retail and perhaps in all of business. The job of every Walmart associate must begin with integrity. Over the past year, I've had countless opportunities to speak to our associates, and I've been very clear that ethics and compliance are non-negotiable. Our standard is full compliance with all laws and regulations in the markets where we operate. We've made significant improvements to our compliance programs and we're taking appropriate action for any instance of non-compliance. We're pleased with the progress we've made through training, new processes and procedures and recruiting exceptionally strong talent to fill new roles. Walmart will have a world-class compliance organization. Benefiting our communities Wherever I travel around the world and have the chance to talk with a business leader or an elected official, it's gratifying to hear their comments about what Walmart is doing on hiring veterans, women's economic empowerment or environmental sustainability. Year after year, we've just continued to build momentum in how we use our size and scale in new ways to make a difference on big issues. Last year alone, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation's charitable contributions surpassed $1 billion in cash and in-kind donations to positively impact local communities around the globe. Over the past year, Walmart became the largest onsite solar power generator in the United States, and the same is true for renewables. We announced major new commitments to make our supply chain more sustainable in China and around the world. I'm also very excited about our recent announcement to boost U.S. manufacturing for Walmart U.S. and Sam's Club, to hire 100,000 honorably discharged U.S. veterans and to do more to help our part-time associates find full-time jobs and build careers at Walmart. Looking ahead Walmart is only getting stronger as the world's healthiest and best-positioned global retailer. I'm pleased with our business and financial performance last year. But what gives me the most confidence is the changing retail landscape, and how our people and our strategies fit so well for the customers we know and care about. Whether it's everyday low prices, a seamless shopping experience, the most talented team of associates, or our model for making a difference, we are on the right path. We will accelerate everything we're doing. And Walmart's best and most exciting days remain ahead. Michael T. Duke President and Chief Executive Officer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 3 || 3 4/9/13 1:10 PM Top: Grocery accounts for 55 percent of Walmart U.S. sales. Walmart is the nation's largest grocer. Middle: Focusing on basics drove apparel sales to the best comp sales performance in 7 years. Bottom: More than 240 Neighborhood Markets offer groceries and a pharmacy. Right: Supercenters offer a broad assortment to deliver one-stop shopping. 4 || Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 4 4/5/13 11:51 PM Everyday low prices on a broad assortment, anytime, anywhere In fiscal 2013, Walmart U.S. delivered a strong 1.8 percent comp increase, or an additional $4.7 billion in comp store sales from last year. Net sales rose to $274.5 billion, a 3.9 percent increase, and operating income grew by 5.4 percent to $21.5 billion. We are driving growth and meeting our customers' needs by offering lower prices on a broad assortment of relevant merchandise. Leveraging a winning formula. Everyday Low Price (EDLP) is the cornerstone of our strategy, and our price focus has never been stronger. Today's consumer seeks the convenience of one-stop shopping that we offer. From grocery and entertainment to sporting goods and crafts, we provide the deep assortment that our customers appreciate. Our price investments across a broad assortment allow us to deliver a lower-priced market basket. Through Walmart's localized and national market basket media campaigns, we show customers market by market that we are the low price leader on baskets of merchandise. Fortifying our low-cost culture. Through our Everyday Low Cost (EDLC) focus, Walmart is constantly fueling the productivity loop by leveraging expenses so that we can lower prices. We work closely with suppliers to obtain the best price for the merchandise customers want. And, we committed to source an additional $50 billion of U.S. products over the next 10 years. We also drive innovation across our supply chain and store operations to reduce cost. Productivity initiatives, including One-Touch and MyGuide, help our stores manage expenses, while continuing to provide good customer service. Engaged associates drive customer satisfaction. Sam Walton used to say, \"The greatest measure of our success is how well we please the customer, our boss.\" Our associates are dedicated to executing our core strategy of managing expenses so we can invest in lower prices for our customers. Associate engagement scores are at an all-time high. We continue to promote associates and during fiscal 2013, we provided a record $1.5 billion incentive payout to field associates. This year, we began a new commitment to hire 100,000 honorably discharged U.S. veterans over the next five years, which will further strengthen our associate team. Integrated offerings between e-commerce and stores. With more than 4,000 stores, unmatched logistical efficiency and innovative e-commerce solutions, we offer millions of items to about 130 million weekly shoppers, with convenient and flexible delivery options. To enhance our customers' experience, we developed a new walmart.com search engine and delivered mobile solutions to help customers plan their shopping trips, manage their budgets and find merchandise more efficiently. Walmart offers a seamless shopping experience, both in our stores and online, to provide customers with merchandise anytime, anywhere. Disciplined growth, diverse formats. We are continuing to grow both through comp store sales and new stores, including supercenters and small formats. Our enhanced focus on capital discipline allows us to reduce our cost per square foot on new construction, as we drive productivity into design and construction processes. We plan to add between 15 and 17 million square feet of retail space this year, representing between 220 and 240 units. Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 5 || 5 4/5/13 11:51 PM International A global portfolio that drives growth and returns Walmart International serves more than 105 million customers per week in 26 countries. Our portfolio provides a balance of growth with improved profitability and higher returns. In fiscal 2013, International contributed almost 30 percent of the company's net sales, with an increase of 7.4 percent from the prior year to $135.2 billion. Operating income grew 8.3 percent to $6.7 billion. We ended the year with 497 more new stores, totaling approximately 19 million square feet. Disciplined growth through new stores and e-commerce. We're focused on disciplined investment in high potential markets, as we strengthen our presence in mature markets. This past year, we moderated new store growth in a few markets to ensure that we open highly productive stores through more disciplined real estate development processes. We're focused on driving comparable sales growth, opening new stores and investing in e-commerce. Our majority stake in China's Yihaodian allows us to quickly penetrate one of the world's fastest-growing e-commerce markets. Extending our EDLP advantage. The diversity of our formats ensures we're relevant to our customers and we're focused on delivering our EDLP advantage across formats. Most of our markets use EDLP as a foundation, and the remaining are in the process of deploying this strategy. Brazil's conversion to EDLP is progressing well, and China is in the early stages of its transition. Massmart in sub-Saharan Africa is continuing to make progress on implementing EDLP into their stores as well. Local relevance, world-class capability. We stay close to our customers in every market to understand their unique preferences. With these insights, our merchants and operators leverage Walmart's global sourcing capabilities to provide locally relevant merchandise at the lowest prices. Our country and Home Office teams share best practices and drive EDLC through improved productivity in store operations, purchasing practices, information technology, logistics and back office support functions. Deeper talent enables growth. We're investing in our outstanding group of Walmart International associates. The secret to our continued success lies in the strength and consistency of our culture that Walmart associates embody every day. We recruit energetic and capable leaders. In addition, we focus on developing merchant capabilities through merchant academies in all markets. Top: Locally relevant formats like Mexico's Bodega Aurrera help ensure success across our global portfolio. Middle: Walmart Canada's broad selection of Canadian-sourced beef demonstrates our focus on locally grown food. Bottom: Attracting and developing top talent is central to ASDA's strategy for continued growth in the U.K. Right: Our EDLP strategy appeals to customers from Canada to Brazil. 6 || Building world-class compliance. We have built our business on a foundation of integrity. We're using that foundation to create an even stronger, comprehensive compliance organization in every market to give our associates the support they need to always do the right thing. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards around the world. Leading on social and environmental issues. We're a catalyst for change on issues that make a difference in our communities, such as women's economic empowerment, sustainable agriculture and environmental sustainability. Through our work on energy efficiency and zero-waste goals, we not only benefit the environment, but also drive cost savings. Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 6 4/5/13 11:51 PM Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 7 || 7 4/5/13 11:51 PM Delivering greater value to members Sam's Club associates do a great job of delivering value to members through exciting merchandise, price leadership and a best-in-class shopping experience. This approach drove solid growth in the warehouse club segment in fiscal 2013. Net sales increased 4.9 percent over last year, to $56.4 billion, while comp sales increased 3.9 percent. Operating income was $2.0 billion, up 6.2 percent. Merchandise that keeps members coming back for more. Sam's Club members want a merchandise assortment that is exciting, relevant and in demand, and that's what we provide. Our fresh products and appealing brands drive traffic. Advantage members manage busy schedules, so they count on Sam's Club for their everyday apparel and Top: Sales of top brand apparel remain strong. Middle: Assortment, quality and value drive membership renewals and upgrades. Bottom: Business members rely on Click 'n' Pull to save time. Right: Our extensive fresh food assortment drives traffic by offering value to both Advantage and Business members. 8 || Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 8 4/9/13 1:10 PM home needs, as well as grocery staples. Our health and wellness offerings, including diet and nutrition products and pharmacy services, have seen strong growth. The quality and value of our bulk sizes resonate with our business members, who look to Sam's Club to replenish their convenience stores, restaurants, cleaning services and other small businesses. This value proposition has never been more critical, as challenging economic conditions pressure their budgets. Price leadership drives traffic and ticket. Our role at Sam's Club is to support our members by creating value for them through price investments across the club. We're driving operating efficiencies, such as refining workforce scheduling to more closely align with member traffic patterns. Productivity measures enable us to expand strategic price investments on key traffic-driving items - further strengthening members' long-term loyalty. Innovations that enhance the shopping experience. We invest in technology to help members shop smarter at Sam's Club. We're strengthening in-club efficiency by expanding self-checkouts to all clubs by year-end and by introducing convertible cash registers that make registers available for members at all times. In addition, we're leveraging the wi-fi capabilities in our clubs to provide new mobile options. Site visits to samsclub.com strengthen our integration of e-commerce and the club, while enhancing the experience overall. Sharpening our focus to deliver even greater value. In fiscal 2014, we'll continue to grow, with plans to open 8 to 12 new clubs, while relocating or expanding 7 to 8 more. We're expanding the price investments that we started late in fiscal 2013. And, we're evaluating a new membership benefit program that simplifies a member's fee structure and provides instant savings to drive membership ... all in an effort to deliver even greater value to our members. Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 9 || 9 4/9/13 1:10 PM Global eCommerce Delivering seamless access to customers - anytime, anywhere The world's e-commerce market continues to expand rapidly, and Walmart is investing to serve customers and to gain share of this huge opportunity. Our e-commerce business unites and expands the Walmart customer experience. We are building best-in-class capabilities in online, mobile and social that, when combined with our 10,700 stores and approximately 245 million weekly shoppers, allow us to do what no one else can - offer customers seamless access to the products they want anytime, anywhere. We have clear objectives to drive e-commerce growth - excelling at the fundamentals, innovating in more ways, winning in key markets and uniting and expanding the Walmart shopping experience. Excelling at the fundamentals. We aim to: p \u0007 rovide more personalized and relevant shopping options; o \u0007 ffer a broad product assortment; \u0007 rovide the best possible shopping experience online, through p mobile and in our stores; and \u0007 eliver merchandise at the lowest possible cost to customers d when and where they want it. We're driving increased sales by building world class e-commerce technologies, such as the upgraded search engine for walmart.com which is enabled by the new global technology platform that we are now beginning to deploy. Innovating in more ways. We're leading in Big Data, social and mobile. We use Big Data to optimize our fulfillment networks, to create powerful pricing tools and to build the right product assortment. Signals from social media help us gain insights on customer trends. Mobile transforms the retail experience by bringing together online and stores - putting power directly in the customers' hands. New mobile apps assist customers with navigating our stores, making it even easier to find specific products. We continue to expand the test of our mobile self-checkout app called Scan and Go. Winning in key markets. We have e-commerce sites in 10 countries and are investing aggressively in markets that represent the greatest growth opportunities - U.S., U.K., Brazil and China. Uniting and expanding the Walmart shopping experience. By leveraging our stores and clubs, our logistics network and our supplier relationships, Global eCommerce enhances the in-store experience and provides e-commerce options that take Walmart to more consumers around the world. Top: Our mobile apps make shopping fun for customers - and more convenient than ever. Bottom: ASDA offers convenient apps for shopping and delivery of groceries and general merchandise. Right: Free shipping is available on thousands of items through Site to Store. 10 || Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 10 4/9/13 1:10 PM Global Responsibility Helping our customers and communities live better As the world's largest retailer, we have the ability and the responsibility to make a difference on issues our customers, communities and associates care about ... to help people live better. We focus our leadership on three key areas: social responsibility, environmental responsibility and associate opportunity. Social responsibility. Through charitable contributions, skills training and global sourcing initiatives, we're improving the lives of so many others. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation's charitable contributions surpassed $1 billion in cash and in-kind donations last year to address needs of local communities globally. We continue to strengthen our women's economic empowerment initiatives through a variety of programs. Last year, for example, more than 73,000 low-income women around the world received job skills training, access to markets and career opportunities. With our healthier foods initiative, we're helping customers easily identify healthier food options. And for manufacturers, we're enhancing auditing, training and education, and stakeholder collaboration to reinforce our commitment to safe working environments in our global supply chain. Environmental responsibility. We're focused on responsible energy consumption globally and now obtain approximately 21 percent of our electricity from renewable sources. Walmart has the most onsite solar capacity of any business in the U.S., according to the EPA. Our goal remains \"zero waste\" and, to reach it, we're rethinking processes, using smarter packaging, recycling and reducing plastic bag use. In addition, we're applying and scaling the Sustainability Index - a tool to measure and drive the sustainability qualities of products. As part of this global effort, Walmart committed to buying 70 percent of the goods sold in U.S. stores and clubs only from suppliers who use the Index by the end of 2017. Associate opportunity. Our founder, Sam Walton, fostered a unique corporate culture, dedicated to a belief in limitless opportunity for Walmart associates. Our global workforce reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. In addition, Walmart U.S. has committed to hire a projected 100,000 honorably discharged U.S. veterans over the next five years and to increase opportunities for part-time associates to advance to full-time careers. Our leadership development programs resulted in meaningful increases in women and minority promotions from hourly to management assignments. Top: Walmart empowers consumers to select healthier food options, as we lower prices on fresh fruit and vegetables. Middle: Solar power plays a leading role in Walmart's efforts to increase the use of renewable energy resources. Bottom: Associates have the opportunity to build long-term careers with Walmart. To learn more about Walmart's responsibility initiatives to help people live better, access our 2013 Global Responsibility Report (GRR) at corporate.walmart.com. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) collaborates with many stakeholders for its framework on sustainability reporting. This approach is now incorporated into Walmart's 2013 GRR. Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 11 || 11 4/5/13 11:52 PM Strong corporate governance guides our decisions Walmart has one of the highest quality public company board of directors. We are guided by strong governance principles and are rooted in our service to shareholders, as well as in making decisions that strengthen our ability to serve customers. One of our most important priorities is compliance and Walmart is implementing a stronger global compliance organization. Our entire board supports strengthening procedures, recruiting talent and expertise, and investing further in compliance training for associates. In addition, we've aligned our global compliance, ethics, investigations, and legal functions under one organization and, beginning this fiscal year, the compensation of our senior executives will be tied to achieving compliance goals. As we previously disclosed, our board has taken responsibility to investigate the allegations regarding the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The Audit Committee, which is composed only of independent directors, has direct oversight of the investigation and meets frequently to review the progress made by third-party legal and accounting experts, who have dedicated countless hours to the investigative and compliance efforts. We are dedicating all necessary resources to ensure clear standards and market-specific processes are in place. Every year, I'm impressed with the time and preparation each board member brings to representing Walmart's shareholders. Even with the additional board and committee meetings this past year, attendance at these meetings was 97 percent. Strong governance framework Walmart's board encourages and embraces diversity of thought from our members. Our directors are recognized leaders in their fields, each with experience and expertise covering many global industries - retail, technology, finance, brand management, and strategy. This diversity of perspective is critical to providing guidance to management. During the past year, Marissa Mayer and Tim Flynn joined the board and brought deep experience in important areas like technology and financial reporting. This year, we recognize three directors - Jim Breyer, Michele Burns and Arne Sorenson - who will rotate off the board in accordance with our governance guidelines. Jim and Michele served Walmart shareholders for more than a decade and Arne, who was recently promoted to CEO of Marriott International, Inc., is leaving us after five years of service on our board to focus on his increased responsibilities. They've been exceptional contributors and we thank them for their dedicated service. 12 || We are proud of our family's position as shareholders and pleased that we have representation on the board. At the same time, we are committed to an independent board. Twelve of our current members are independent, and we have an independent presiding director. For more than 25 years, we have had separate Chairman and CEO roles. As board members, we constantly challenge one another to ensure that we are focusing on the issues that are important to our shareholders. Two years ago, we created a new board committee focused on technology and e-commerce, and we formalized board committee oversight for sustainability and corporate responsibility. This year, we added board committee oversight for legislative affairs and public policy engagement strategies, as well as adopted restrictions on hedging and pledging of Walmart stock. Progress made is the foundation for a bright future As I reflect on fiscal 2013, there are many areas where Dad would be proud. He would applaud the outstanding service of our 2.2 million associates. He would love the progress we made in reducing operating expenses as a percentage of sales, as we continue delivering on our mission to help customers save money so they can live better. Although the Internet as we know it wasn't around in Dad's day, he'd be excited about how we're innovating in the changing retail landscape. We've made more progress in e-commerce and its integration with our stores this year than in the last decade. There is no doubt Walmart has a secure and bright future, and our board plays a vital role in reviewing and approving the business strategies. Integrity, transparency, openness and independence guide our decisions. Just as our associates are focused on the fundamentals of taking care of customers, the board is very engaged for our shareholders. Thank you for your support of our company. I encourage you to review the details about our board members, governance structure, executive compensation and other policies in the proxy statement that accompanies this report. We look forward to your participation in our Annual Shareholders' Meeting June 7. S. Robson Walton Chairman of the Board of Directors Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 12 4/5/13 11:52 PM 2013 Board of Directors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 1| S. Robson Walton Mr. Walton is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 2| Aida M. Alvarez Ms. Alvarez is the former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and was a member of President Clinton's Cabinet from 1997 to 2001. 3| James W. Breyer (Presiding director) Mr. Breyer is a Partner of Accel Partners, a venture capital firm. Mr. Breyer is also the founder and has been the Chief Executive Officer of Breyer Capital, an investment firm. 4| M. Michele Burns Ms. Burns is the Chief Executive Officer of the Retirement Policy Center, sponsored by the Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., a global professional services and consulting firm. 5| James I. Cash, Jr., Ph.D. Dr. Cash is the James E. Robison Emeritus Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he served from July 1976 to October 2003. 6| Roger C. Corbett Mr. Corbett is the retired Chief Executive Officer and Group Managing Director of Woolworths Limited, the largest retail company in Australia. Board Committees: Name Audit Comp., Nominating & Governance Executive 7| Douglas N. Daft Mr. Daft is the retired Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage manufacturer, where he served in that capacity from February 2000 until May 2004, and in various other capacities since 1969. 13| H. Lee Scott, Jr. Mr. Scott is the former Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., serving in that position from January 2000 to January 2009. 14| Arne M. Sorenson Mr. Sorenson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc. 8| Michael T. Duke Mr. Duke is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and is the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. 9| Timothy P. Flynn Mr. Flynn is the retired Chairman of KPMG International, a professional services firm. 15| Jim C. Walton Mr. Walton is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Arvest Bank Group, Inc., a group of banks operating in the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. 10| Marissa A. Mayer Ms. Mayer is the Chief Executive Officer and President and Director of Yahoo! Inc., a digital media company. 16| Christopher J. Williams Mr. Williams is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of The Williams Capital Group, L.P., an investment bank. 11| Gregory B. Penner Mr. Penner is a General Partner at Madrone Capital Partners, an investment management firm. 17| Linda S. Wolf Ms. Wolf is the retired Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc., an advertising agency and division of Publicis Groupe S.A. 12| Steven S Reinemund Mr. Reinemund is the Dean of Business and Professor of Leadership and Strategy at Wake Forest University. He previously served as the Chairman of the Board and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo, Inc. Global Comp. Strategic Planning Tech & & Finance e-commerce Name S. Robson Walton Comp., Nominating & Governance Executive Global Comp. Strategic Planning Tech & & Finance e-commerce Marissa A. Mayer Aida M. Alvarez Audit Gregory B. Penner James W. Breyer (C) Steven S Reinemund M. Michele Burns (C) H. Lee Scott, Jr. James I. Cash, Jr., Ph.D.(FE) Arne M. Sorenson(FE) Roger C. Corbett Jim C. Walton Douglas N. Daft Christopher J. Williams(FE) Michael T. Duke Timothy P. Flynn (C) (FE) (C) (C) Linda S. Wolf (C) Committee Chair (C) (FE) Financial Expert Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 13 || 13 4/5/13 11:52 PM Our financial mission: providing strong returns to shareholders Growth Leverage Net sales (dollars in billions) $401 $405 $419 Returns Operating expense (as a percentage of sales) $444 $466 Total shareholder returns (dollars in billions) $19.2 19.7% 19.4% 19.4% 19.2% $11.5 19.1% $11.3 $13.0 $7.3 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY09 FY10 Dividends FY11 FY12 FY13 Share repurchases Walmart U.S.* Walmart International* Sam's Club* Net sales surpassed Net sales surpassed Net sales surpassed 3.9% 7.4% 4.9% $274B $135B $56B Increase from fiscal 2012 Increase from fiscal 2012 Increase from fiscal 2012 Operating income grew to Operating income grew to Operating income grew to $21.5B $6.7B $2.0B *Dollars represent fiscal 2013 financial results. 14 || Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 14 4/5/13 11:53 PM Walmart's 2013 Financial Report In fiscal 2013, Walmart continued its long history of delivering strong results for our customers and shareholders. In fact, over the last decade, Walmart grew sales by approximately 7 percent on a compounded annual rate, earnings per share by approximately 11 percent on a compounded annual rate, and returned close to $100 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. We are proud of our record of consistent and strong performance, even during times when the global economy was volatile. Walmart continues to create value because our strategies are guided by our financial priorities - growth, leverage and returns. We're excited about Walmart's future growth opportunities from a combination of comp store sales, new stores and e-commerce. We're gaining market share across almost every country in which we operate. And in food and grocery - our largest part of the overall business - we continue to gain share as well. Our fiscal 2014 capital expenditure plan is to spend between $12 billion and $13 billion. This capital plan includes continued growth in new stores, logistics and supply chain expansion, investments to drive productivity and reduce expenses, and Global eCommerce expansion. Our three operating segments are projected to add between 36 million and 40 million retail square feet this year. Two fundamental operating principles - Everyday Low Cost (EDLC) and Everyday Low Price (EDLP) - underpin our ability to grow profitably. Offering everyday low prices on a broad merchandise assortment builds customer trust and resonates with consumers globally. Our three operating segments are projected to add between 36 million and 40 million retail square feet this year. Two fundamental operating principles - Everyday Low Cost (EDLC) and Everyday Low Price (EDLP) - underpin our ability to grow profitably. Walmart's commitment to leverage expenses (to reduce operating expenses as a percentage of sales) is the foundation of driving the productivity loop. With the savings from lowering costs, we are able to invest in price, drive greater traffic to our stores and our e-commerce sites, grow sales and deliver strong financial results. In fact, achieving greater productivity through EDLC is central to the Walmart business model that Sam Walton put in place in 1962, when he opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas. We're pleased that in fiscal 2013, Walmart successfully leveraged operating expenses for a third consecutive year. We've also made a conscientious effort to improve capital expenditure efficiency by being disciplined in new store and club openings and lowering the cost of remodels. These productivity gains are made possible by the innovative ideas and the hard work of our 2.2 million associates worldwide. Their collective efforts in tightly managing costs result in lower prices for our customers, strong profitability and greater value for our shareholders. Delivering strong returns to shareholders remains a top priority for Walmart. Our AA credit rating is a testament to Walmart's strong cash flows, disciplined financial management and the strength of our underlying business. This strength allows us to invest in growth and provide strong returns by way of dividends and share repurchases. Walmart's annual dividend per share has increased about 18 percent on average over the last decade, and we've returned over $60 billion in share repurchases and dividends over the last five years alone. In the next section, you can review our financial results and see more clearly how we are delivering shareholder value through our focus on growth, leverage and returns. All of us at Walmart are proud of what we have accomplished and are excited about our future opportunities. We're confident that our strong financial position, along with our EDLC and EDLP operating model, will continue to produce solid results for our shareholders. Sincerely, Charles M. Holley, Jr. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 15 || 15 4/9/13 2:07 PM Executive Officers Neil M. Ashe Executive Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer, Global eCommerce Rosalind G. Brewer Executive Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sam's Club M. Susan Chambers Executive Vice President, Global People Leslie A. Dach Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs Michael T. Duke President and Chief Executive Officer Rollin L. Ford Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Jeffrey J. Gearhart Executive Vice President and Corporate Secretary Charles M. Holley, Jr. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer C. Douglas McMillon Executive Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer, Walmart International William S. Simon Executive Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer, Walmart U.S. 17 Five-Year Financial Summary 18 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 32 Consolidated Statements of Income Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income 33 Consolidated Balance Sheets 34 Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity 35 Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 36 Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 56 Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 57 Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 58 Management's Report to Our Shareholders 59 Fiscal 2013 Unit Count 60 Corporate and Stock Information S. Robson Walton Chairman of the Board of Directors Steven P. Whaley Senior Vice President and Controller 16 || Walmart 2013 Annual Report 137073_L01_NARR.indd 16 4/8/13 7:57 PM Five-Year Financial Summary As of and for the Fiscal Years Ended January 31, (Amounts in millions, except per share and unit count data) Operating results Total revenues Percentage change in total revenues from previous fiscal year Net sales Percentage change in net sales from previous fiscal year Increase (decrease) in calendar comparable sales (1) in the United States Walmart U.S. Sam's Club Gross profit margin Operating, selling, general and administrative expenses, as a percentage of net sales Operating income Income from continuing operations attributable to Walmart Net income per common share: Diluted income per common share from continuing operations attributable to Walmart Dividends declared per common share Financial position Inventories Property, equipment and capital lease assets, net Total assets Long-term debt, including obligations under capital leases Total Walmart shareholders' equity Unit counts Walmart U.S. segment Walmart International segment Sam's Club segment Total units 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 $469,162 5.0% 466,114 5.0% $446,950 6.0% 443,854 5.9% $421,849 3.4% 418,952 3.4% $408,085 0.9% 405,132 1.0% $404,254 7.2% 401,087 7.3% 2.4% 2.0% 4.1% 24.4% 1.6% 0.3% 8.4% 24.5% (0.6)% (1.5)% 3.9% 24.8% (0.8)% (0.7)% (1.4)% 24.9% 3.5% 3.2% 4.9% 24.3% 19.1% $ 27,801 16,999 19.2% $ 26,558 15,766 19.4% $ 25,542 15,355 19.7% $ 24,002 14,449 19.4% $ 22,767 13,235 $ $ $ $ $ 5.02 1.59 4.54 1.46 4.18 1.21 3.73 1.09 3.35 0.95 $ 43,803 116,681 203,105 41,417 76,343 $ 40,714 112,324 193,406 47,079 71,315 $ 36,437 107,878 180,782 43,842 68,542 $ 32,713 102,307 170,407 36,401 70,468 $ 34,013 95,653 163,096 34,549 64,969 4,005 6,148 620 3,868 5,651 611 3,804 4,557 609 3,755 4,099 605 3,703 3,595 611 10,773 10,130 8,970 8,459 7,909 (1) Comparable store and club sales include fuel. Comparable sales include sales from stores and clubs open for the previous 12 months, including remodels, relocations and expansions, as well as online sales. Walmart 2013 Annual Report || 17 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Overview Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (\"Walmart,\" the \"Company\" or \"we\") operates retail stores in various formats under 69 banners around the world and is committed to saving people money so they can live better. We earn the trust of our customers every day by providing a broad assortment of quality merchandise and services at everyday low prices (\"EDLP\"), while fostering a culture that rewards and embraces mutual respect, integrity and diversity. EDLP is our pricing philosophy under which we price items at a low price every day so that our customers trust that our prices will not change under frequent promotional activities. Our focus for Sam's Club is to provide exceptional value on brand name and private label merchandise at \"members only\" prices for both business and personal use. Internationally, we operate with similar philosophies. Our fiscal year ends on January 31 for our United States (\"U.S.\") and Canadian operations. We consolidate all other operations generally using a one-month lag and on a calendar basis. We discuss how the results of our various operations are consolidated for financial reporting purposes in Note 1 in the \"Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.\" We intend for this discussion to provide the reader with information that will assist in understanding our financial statements, the changes in certain key items in those financial statements from year to year, and the primary factors that accounted for those changes, as well as how certain accounting principles affect our financial statements. We also discuss certain performance metrics that management uses to assess our performance. Additionally, the discussion provides information about the financial results of the various segments of our business to provide a better understanding of how those segments and their results affect the financial condition and results of operations of the Company as a whole. This discussion, which presents our results for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2013 (\"fiscal 2013\"), January 31, 2012 (\"fiscal 2012\") and January 31, 2011 (\"fiscal 2011\"), should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Our operations consist of three reportable business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam's Club. The Walmart U.S. segment includes the Company's mass merchant concept in the U.S., operating under the \"Walmart\" or \"Wal-Mart\" brand, as well as walmart.com. The Walmart International segment consists of the Company's operations outside of the U.S., including various retail websites. The Sam's Club segment includes the warehouse membership clubs in the U.S., as well as samsclub.com. Our business is seasonal to a certain extent due to different calendar events and national and religious holidays, as well as different climates. Historically, our highest sales volume and operating income occur in the fiscal quarter ending January 31. Throughout this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, we discuss segment operating income, comparable store and club sales and other measures. Management measures the results of its segments using, among other measures, each segment's operating income, including certain corporate 18 || Walmart 2013 Annual Report overhead allocations. From time to time, we revise the measurement of each segment's operating income or other measures, including any corporate overhead allocations and other items impacting the measures used to evaluate our segment's results, as dictated by the information regularly reviewed by our chief operating decision maker. When we do so, the previous period amounts and balances are reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation. The amounts disclosed for \"Other unallocated\" in the leverage discussion of the Company's performance metrics consist of corporate overhead and other items not allocated to any of the Company's segments. Comparable store and club sales is a metric which indicates the performance of our existing U.S. stores and clubs by measuring the change in sales for such stores and clubs for a particular period from the corresponding period in the previous year. Walmart's definition of comparable store and club sales includes sales from stores and clubs open for the previous 12 months, including remodels, relocations and expansions, as well as sales initiated online. Changes in format are excluded from comparable store and club sales when the conversion is accompanied by a relocation or expansion that results in a change in retail square feet of more than five percent. Comparable store and club sales are also referred to as \"same-store\" sales by others within the retail industry. The method of calculating comparable store and club sales varies across the retail industry. As a result, our calculation of comparable store and club sales is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. In discussing our operating results, the term currency exchange rates refers to the currency exchange rates we use to convert the operating results for all countries where the functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. We calculate the effect of changes in currency exchange rates as the difference between current period activity translated using the current period's currency exchange rates, and the comparable prior year period's currency exchange rates. Throughout our discussion, we refer to the results of this calculation as the impact of currency exchange rate fluctuations. When we refer to constant currency operating results, this means operating results without the impact of the currency exchange rate fluctuations and without the impact of acquisitions until the acquisitions are included in both comparable periods. The disclosure of constant currency amounts or results permits investors to understand better Walmart's underlying performance without the effects of currency exchange rate fluctuations or acquisitions. Volatility in currency exchange rates may impact the results, including net sales and operating income, of the Company and the Walmart International segment in the future. We made certain reclassifications to prior period amounts and balances to conform to the presentation in the current fiscal year. These reclassifications did not impact the Company's consolidated operating income or net income. Additionally, certain prior period segment asset and expense allocations have been reclassified among segments to be comparable with the current period presentation. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations The Retail Industry We operate in the highly competitive retail industry in all of the countries we serve. We face strong sales competition from other discount, department, drug, dollar, variety and specialty stores, warehouse clubs and supermarkets. Many of these competitors are national, regional or international chains, as well as internet-based retailers and catalog businesses. We compete with a number of companies for prime retail site locations, as well as in attracting and retaining quality employees (whom we call \"associates\"). We, along with other retail companies, are influenced by a number of factors including, but not limited to: general economic conditions, cost of goods, consumer disposable income, consumer debt levels and buying patterns, consumer credit availability, interest rates, tax rates, customer preferences, unemployment, labor costs, inflation, deflation, currency exchange rate fluctuations, fuel and energy prices, weather patterns, climate change, catastrophic events, competitive pressures and insurance costs. Further information on certain risks to our Company can be located in \"Item 1A. Risk Factors\" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2013, and in the discussion under \"Forward-Looking Statements.\" Company Performance Metrics The Company's performance metrics emphasize three priorities for improving shareholder value: growth, leverage and returns. The Company's priority of growth focuses on sales through comparable store or club sales and unit square feet growth; the priority of leverage encompasses the Company's objective to increase its operating income at a faster rate than the growth in net sales by growing its operating, selling, general and administrative expenses (\"operating expenses\") at a slower rate than the growth of its net sales; and the priority of returns focuses on how efficiently the Company employs its assets through return on investment and how effectively the Company manages working capital and capital expenditures through free cash flow. Growth Net Sales Fiscal Years Ended January 31, (Amounts in millions) 2013 2012 2011 Net Sales Percent of Total Percent Change Net Sales Percent of Total Percent Change Net Sales Percent of Total Walmart U.S. Walmart International Sam's Club $274,490 135,201 56,423 58.9% 29.0% 12.1% 3.9% 7.4% 4.9% $264,186 125,873 53,795 59.5% 28.4% 12.1% 1.5% 15.2% 8.8% $260,261 109,232 49,459 62.1% 26.1% 11.8% Net sales $466,114 100.0% 5.0% $443,854 100.0% 5.9% $418,952 100.0% Our consolidated net sales increased 5.0% and 5.9% in fiscal 2013 and 2012, respectively, when compared to the previous fiscal year. The increase in net sales for fiscal 2013 was due to 3.3% growth in retail square feet and positive comparable store and club sales. Additionally, net sales from acquisitions, through their respective anniversary dates, accounted for $4.0 billion of the increase in net sales. The increase in net sales was partially offset by $4.5 billion of negative impact from fluctuations in currency exchange rates. The increase in net sales for fiscal 2012 was due to positive comparable store and club sales and 5.3% growth in retail square feet, which includes square feet added through acquisitions. Net sales from acquisitions in fiscal 2012 accounted for $4.7 billion of the increase in net sales, and fluctuations in currency exchange rates positively impacted net sales by $4.0 billion. Calendar Comparable Store and Club Sales Comparable store and club sales is a metric that indicates the performance of our existing U.S. stores and clubs by measuring the change in sales for such stores and clubs for a particular period over the corresponding period in the previous year. The retail industry generally reports comparable store and club sales using the retail calendar (also known as the 4-5-4 calendar) and, to be consistent with the retail industry, we provide comparable store and club sales using the retail calendar in our quarterly earnings releases. However, when we discuss our comparable store and club sales below, we are referring to our calendar comparable store and club sales calculated using our fiscal calendar. As our fiscal calendar differs from the retail calendar, our calendar comparable store and club sales also differ from the retail calendar comparable store and club sales provided in our quarterly earnings releases. Calendar comparable store and club sales, as well as the impact of fuel, for fiscal 2013 and 2012, were as follows: With Fuel Fuel Impact Fiscal Years Ended January 31, Fiscal Years Ended January 31, 2013 2012 2013 2012 Walmart U.S. Sam's Club 2.0% 4.1% 0.3% 8.4% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 3.4% Total U.S. 2.4% 1.6% 0.1% 0.6% Walmart 2013 Annual Report || 19 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Comparable store and club sales in the U.S., including fuel, increased 2.4% and 1.6% in fiscal 2013 and 2012, respectively, when compared to the previous fiscal year. U.S. comparable store and club sales increased during fiscal 2013 as a result of improved average ticket and an increase in customer traffic. U.S. comparable store sales increased during fiscal 2012 primarily due to an increase in average ticket, partially offset by a decline in traffic, while comparable club sales were higher due to a larger member base driving increased traffic, as well as a broader assortment of items. As we continue to add new stores and clubs in the U.S., we do so with an understanding that additional stores and clubs may take sales away from existing units. We estimate the negative impact on comparable store and club sales as a result of opening new stores and clubs was approximately 0.7% in fiscal 2013 and 0.8% in fiscal 2012. Leverage Operating Income Fiscal Years Ended January 31, (Amounts in millions) 2013 Operating Income Percent of Total 2012 Percent Change Operating Income Percent of Total 2011 Percent Change Operating Income Percent of Total Walmart U.S. Walmart International Sam's Club Other unallocated $21,500 6,694 1,963 (2,356) 77.3% 24.1% 7.1% (8.5)% 5.4% 8.3% 6.2% 26.5% $20,391 6,182 1,848 (1,863) 76.7% 23.3% 7.0% (7.0)% 2.3% 10.9% 9.0% 11.6% $19,941 5,575 1,695 (1,669) 78.1% 21.8% 6.6% (6.5)% Total operating income $27,801 100.0% 4.7% $26,558 100.0% 4.0% $25,542 100.0% We believe comparing the growth of our operating expenses to the growth of our net sales and comparing the growth of our operating income to the growth of our net sales are meaningful measures as they indicate how effectively we manage costs and leverage operating expenses. Our objective is to grow net sales at a faster rate than operating expenses and to grow operating income at a faster rate than net sales. On occasion, we may make strategic growth investments that may, at times, cause our operating expenses to grow at a faster rate than net sales and that may result in our operating income growing at a slower rate than net sales. Operating Expenses We leveraged operating expenses in fiscal 2013 and 2012 due to our continued focus on expense management. We are working to reduce operating expenses as a percentage of sales by at least 100 basis points over a five-year period beginning with fiscal 2013 and achieved a 14 basis point reduction in fiscal 2013. In fiscal 2013, our operating expenses and sales increased 4.2% and 5.0%, respectively, when compared to fiscal 2012. In fiscal 2012, our operating expenses and sales increased 4.8% and 5.9%, respectively, when compared to fiscal 2011. Operating expenses increased in fiscal 2013 primarily due to overall Company growth, as net sales increased 5.0%. Also contributing to the increase in operating expenses in fiscal 2013 were increased associate incentive payments, continued investment in our Global eCommerce initiatives and incurred expenses related to thirdparty advisors reviewing matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (\"FCPA\"). Acquisitions also increased operating expenses for fiscal 2013. In fiscal 2012, our Global eCommerce initiatives contributed to the majority of the increase in operating expenses, as we continued to invest in our e-commerce platforms. Depreciation expense also increased due to our financial system investments, with the remainder of the increase being driven by multiple items, none of which were individually significant. 20 || Walmart 2013 Annual Report Operating Income Operating income increased 4.7% and 4.0% in fiscal 2013 and 2012, respectively, when compared to the previous fiscal year. Although we leveraged operating expenses in fiscal 2013 and 2012, operating income for both years grew at a slower rate than sales. In fiscal 2013, the primary causes for operating income growing slower than sales were the investments in our Global eCommerce initiatives and incurred expenses related to third-party advisors reviewing matters involving the FCPA. Additionally, our investment in price for products sold in our retail operations, which reduces gross margin, contributed to operating income growing slower than sales in fiscal 2013 and was the primary cause for operating income growing slower than sales in fiscal 2012. Returns Return on Investment Management believes return on investment (\"ROI\") is a meaningful metric to share with investors because it helps investors assess how effectively Walmart is deploying its assets. Trends in ROI can fluctuate over time as management balances long-term potential strategic initiatives with possible short-term impacts. ROI was 18.2% and 18.6% for fiscal 2013 and 2012, respectively. The decline in ROI was primarily due to the impact of acquisitions and currency exchange rate fluctuations. We define ROI as adjusted operating income (operating income plus interest income, depreciation and amortization, and rent expense) for the fiscal year divided by average invested capital during that period. We consider average invested capital to be the average of our beginning and ending total assets of continuing operations, plus average accumulated depreciation and average amortization less average accounts payable and average accrued liabilities for that period, plus a rent factor equal to the rent for the fiscal year or trailing twelve months multiplied by a factor of eight. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations RO