John Fleming Named Wal-Mart's Chief Marketing Officer

BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. today announced the promotion of John Fleming, 46, to executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the company effective May 2.

Fleming will succeed Robert F. "Bob" Connolly, who last month announced his decision to retire at the end of the calendar year. In the interim, Connolly will remain an active member of the senior management team with responsibility for several strategic, proprietary initiatives.

Currently president and CEO of Walmart.com, Fleming will retain oversight of the company's online business as well as assume responsibility for all marketing and consumer communications programs, including advertising, consumer research, visual merchandising, signage, point-of-sale programs and all in-store promotional materials. He will report to Michael T. Duke, president and CEO of the Wal-Mart Stores Division. Fleming will also serve on the company's Executive Committee.

"The depth of Wal-Mart's management team allows us to tap into tremendous internal talent -- like John -- to ensure continuity," said Duke. "Throughout his Wal-Mart career, Bob has made many significant contributions to merchandising and marketing. Given John's talent and enthusiasm, we'll look for him to do the same. We also look forward to what his unique style and creative spirit will bring to our marketing efforts.

"Additionally, John's background in both traditional and online retail ensures we will continue to strengthen the ways we market and merchandise to customers," Duke continued. "Walmart.com has proven to be a tremendously important complement to our stores business."

Since joining Wal-Mart four and a half years ago, Fleming has led Walmart.com through significant growth, consistently two to three times that of the general online industry, especially as the business has continued to focus on more expanded product and service offerings. During his tenure, Walmart.com initiated key integration activities with Wal-Mart stores, including one-hour photo service, music downloads, gift registry and online pharmacy.

Fleming spent 19 years at Target Corporation before joining Wal-Mart. During his time there, he held various retail and merchandising positions in the department stores division. His final assignment with Target Corporation was as senior vice president of merchandising, responsible for the fashion divisions (apparel, shoes and accessories).

Over the next few months, Fleming will divide his time between Wal-Mart's home office in Bentonville, Ark., and Walmart.com's office in Brisbane, Calif., before relocating fulltime to Northwest Arkansas.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations in the United States. Internationally, the company operates in Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom, Argentina, and South Korea. The company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting http://www.walmartfacts.com/ . Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com/ .