Despite persistent supply bottlenecks, the US retail group Walmart Inc. was able to achieve slight growth in sales and earnings in the 2021/22 financial year, which ended in January. Sales reached $572.8 billion (EUR 503.5 billion), up 2.4 percent (+1.6 percent at constant currency) from the prior-year period, the company announced on Thursday.
The sale of the activities in Japan and Great Britain, which was completed in the first quarter, reduced the proceeds. The company put the resulting lost sales at $32.7 billion. However, solid growth in the USA was sufficient to more than compensate for the lost income from international business.
Although global delivery difficulties resulted in higher freight costs, the retailer was also able to increase its profits. Operating profit was $25.9 billion, up 15.1 percent year-on-year. Net income attributable to shareholders grew 1.2 percent to $13.7 billion.
The group forecast further progress for the current financial year: currency-adjusted growth in sales of around three percent is expected, and earnings per share are expected to increase “by a mid-single-digit percentage” compared to the previous year.