Forbes reports that while last year Citigroup became America’s first trillion-dollar company, that valuation was based on assets, not sales, and “financial institutions have always had outsized asset bases.”
However, the magazine estimates that Wal-Mart will top the trillion-dollar mark in actual sales in just ten years, based on its recent annual growth rates.
To put that in perspective, General Electric – based on its annual growth history – is expected to hit the trillion-dollar sales level in 2029. And, the magazine writes, “barring a huge acquisition, no other Forbes 500s company will hit even half a trillion in sales within the next 50 years.”
However, the magazine estimates that Wal-Mart will top the trillion-dollar mark in actual sales in just ten years, based on its recent annual growth rates.
To put that in perspective, General Electric – based on its annual growth history – is expected to hit the trillion-dollar sales level in 2029. And, the magazine writes, “barring a huge acquisition, no other Forbes 500s company will hit even half a trillion in sales within the next 50 years.”
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Of course, Wal-Mart’s ability to reach this milestone is dependent on a lot of things falling into place correctly. It has to not only maintain its ability to grow within existing markets, but also acquire new companies or expand into markets and countries into which it has not yet ventured.
And, it has to be successful at getting into new lines of business. Forbes notes that the grocery business will be a prime engine of this growth – which isn’t exactly good news for anyone else who happens to be in the grocery business.
In related news, by the way, Wal-Mart Stores reportedly has solidified its position atop the Fortune 500 list, with annual sales of $246.5 billion. The editors of that magazine are speculating that, based on the company’s growth strategy, it may be a very long time before it is supplanted.
