Walmart Canada named to Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures of 2012

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - Walmart Canada's corporate culture has been ranked among the 10 most admired corporate cultures in Canada by Waterstone Human Capital Inc., an executive search and human capital consulting firm that has been running the Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures program since 2005. Walmart Canada is the largest employer and the only grocery and general merchandise retailer on the list.

"We are very proud to be recognized as having one of the country's top corporate cultures," said Shelley Broader, President and CEO of Walmart Canada. "This recognition truly belongs to our 90,000 associates. As Canada's fastest growing retailer, we make a concerted effort to hire for cultural fit because we believe when you have the right people, you can accomplish almost anything."

Walmart Canada's culture is based on three basic beliefs—respect for the individual, service to our customers, and striving for excellence—which provide the foundation for the company's inclusive work environment, training and education programs and focus on developing talent within the corporation. Walmart has one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the Canadian retail industry. The company is committed to developing talent from within—in 2011, over 5,000 associates were promoted, and 70% of current store managers have been promoted from within Walmart Canada's store network.

"Together, our people and culture represent Walmart's biggest competitive advantage," Broader added. "A culture can only be fostered if people  truly believe in it, and our culture is strong because Walmart Canada associates live our values every day, with each other and with our customers."

Companies were selected based on five criteria: vision and leadership; cultural alignment; measurement and sustainability; rewards, recognition and innovative business achievement; corporate performance and corporate social responsibility.

"Congratulations to Walmart Canada for being one of Canada's 10 of 2012," said Marty Parker, the chairman and CEO of Waterstone Human Capital and the chair of the Canada's 10 program. "Our board felt that the leadership team at Walmart does a great job at empowering their associates to believe anything is possible, and they back up this strategy by providing robust training and development. Combine this with their steady growth and we can see why Walmart impressed our board members, demonstrating the key link between culture and its impact on performance."

About Waterstone Human Capital:
As one of Canada's leading retained executive search firms specializing in recruiting for fit and in cultural assessment, Waterstone's search partners are experts at assessing and articulating organizational culture. Helping clients find and keep great people is what Waterstone does best - great people that 'fit' the culture, and who ultimately drive organizational performance. www.waterstonehc.com Follow us at @waterstonehc

About Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of more than 372 locations nationwide serving more than one million customers each day. Its flagship online store, www.Walmart.ca, serves over 250,000 customers per day with online shopping and free shipping on 1,000s of items. With over 90,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is recognized by Waterstone Human Capital as having one of Canada's top 10 corporate cultures. Walmart Canada is focused on helping Canadian families in need. Since 1994, Walmart has donated and raised more than $160 million to Canadian charities and not-for-profit organizations. Additional company information can be found at walmartcanada.ca, facebook.com/walmartcanada and at twitter.com/@walmartcanada.

SOURCE: Walmart Canada