Roundtable

The largest company in the world is as large as HP, Dell, Microsoft, IBM and Cisco combined – with $2 billion left over in change. US retailer Wal-Mart has extraordinary influence on the American economy, its citizens' shopping habits, US trade relations with China (where large volumes of its products are made today) and especially on how manufacturers get their products to consumers.

Traditional retail has for many decades been driven by manufacturer push; the makers of product push their wares through retail channels to the end buyer. However, Wal-Mart replaced that trend in the mid-‘90s with what it called “retailer pull”. The company calls the shots when it comes to its several thousand suppliers, insisting on lower prices and better quality, which it says is then passed on to consumers. Wal-Mart is powerful enough to put large brands out of business if it wants to – and has spawned many critics.