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Sam's Club history
Sam's Club company history timeline
Sam Walton opened the first Sam's Club on April 7, 1983, in Midwest City, Oklahoma, 21 years after he founded Walmart.
The warehouse store industry had matured and changed markedly between Sam's launch in 1983 and the beginning of the new millennium.
In 1984 the chain added eight stores, and these 11 stores brought in $225 million total that year.
An analyst for Morgan Stanley quoted in Discount Store News for December 9, 1985, described Wal-Mart's distribution network as using "some of the most sophisticated systems currently devised." The chain already knew how to hold down costs, and it amplified this skill at Sam's Clubs.
The entrenched Price Co. was still the market leader in 1986, with sales of $1.9 billion, and profits of $46 million.
But it was not profitable, and in 1987 Sam's took over the chain, closing some stores and reopening others under the Sam's banner.
In 1987, Sam's Club made its first acquisition by purchasing West Monroe, Louisiana-based SuperSaver Wholesale Warehouse Club; the purchase expanded the chain by 24 locations.
In 1989, Sam's began moving into the Northeast.
By 1989, it was providing over 18 percent of Wal-Mart's total sales.
In 1989, Sam's Club entered New Jersey with a club in Delran in a former Two Guys/Jefferson Ward store.
Costco also entered the Northeastern market in 1990, with a revamped store format that included a bakery.
The California-based Price Club chain had started Price Club East, and had 11 stores in the Northeast by 1990.
Sam's changed its name in 1990 from Sam's Wholesale Clubs to simply Sam's Clubs.
By 1990, competition between Sam's and the other leading chains was growing more intense as the big players moved out of their core markets.
In 1990, Sam’s Club made the first changes to the logo.
By 1990 Wal-Mart Stores had passed Sears, Roebuck and…
Sam Walton died in 1992, shortly after receiving the Medal of Freedom, but his legacy lives on.
At this juncture, Sam's was the biggest chain left, with about 400 stores and 1993 sales of $14.7 billion.
Sam’s Club used this logo until 1993.
In 1993, Walmart acquired PACE Membership Warehouse from Kmart and converted many (but not all) PACE locations into Sam's Clubs.
By the middle of 1994, same-store sales levels had fallen month by month for almost a solid year.
In 1994 Sam's also began stocking some unusual items, including juke boxes and grand pianos, that were meant to appeal to upscale consumers who enjoyed the thrill of bargain hunting.
Sales were close to $23 billion, and operating profits rose 15 percent over 1997.
Sales and earnings increased in 1999, and the company opened almost 20 new stores.
Sam's also began attaching gas stations to its stores, moving from a pilot of seven in 1999 to a planned hundred or more by the end of the year.
2000: Sam's, Costco, and BJ's Wholesale rank as the dominant players in the warehouse club industry.
On September 24, 2006, Sam's Club unveiled a new logo with an updated serif font.
Starting in April 2007, there was speculation of a possible sale or spinoff of Sam's Club from parent company Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
The latest flagship club opening as of September 13, 2007, was in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
In December 2007, Sam's Club launched a new slogan, "Enjoy the Possibilities". Since then it became an official advertising slogan, mentioned in television and radio advertisements, but it is not mentioned on its website.
In 2008, Walmart underwent the most significant logo change to date, introducing a new font and the iconic spark.
On February 26, 2009, Walmart Canada announced that it would be closing all six of its Canadian Sam's Club locations.
Sam's Club launched their latest slogan "Savings Made Simple" in the fourth quarter of 2009.
In January 2010, it was announced that ten clubs would be closing, including four in California.
On January 24, 2010, it was announced that approximately 11,200 Sam's Club employees would be laid off.
Rosalind Brewer was named as the new CEO for Sam's Club, a change that came into effect on February 1, 2012.
Walmart acquires 100% stake in Yihaodian, an e-commerce business in China, up from the 51% stake since 2012.
On January 24, 2014, it was announced that Walmart will cut 2,300 jobs at the underperforming Sam's Club locations.
Walmart commits $2 billion through the end of 2015 to help end hunger in the United States.
On February 1, 2017, John Furner replaced Brewer as CEO of Sam's Club.
On January 11, 2018, Walmart announced that 63 Sam's Club locations in cities including Memphis, Houston, Seattle, and others would be closing.
On November 15, 2019, Kathryn McLay succeeded Furner as CEO of Sam's Club.
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Sam's Club competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kmart | 1899 | $25.1B | 1,500 | - |
| BJ's Wholesale Club | 1984 | $20.5B | 25,001 | 657 |
| Walmart | 1962 | $681.0B | 2,300,000 | 45,460 |
| Target | 1902 | $106.6B | 409,000 | 10,671 |
| Overstock.com | 1997 | $2.5B | 1,613 | 1 |
| Winn-Dixie | 1925 | $5.1B | 41,000 | - |
| Best Buy | 1966 | $41.5B | 102,000 | 1,577 |
| Food Lion | 1957 | $20.0B | 88,001 | - |
| Family Dollar | 1959 | $10.5B | 60,000 | 7,228 |
| H-E-B | 1905 | $21.0B | 100,000 | 702 |
Sam's Club history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Sam's Club, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Sam's Club. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Sam's Club. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Sam's Club. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Sam's Club and its employees or that of Zippia.
Sam's Club may also be known as or be related to Sam's West Inc., Sam's Club, Sam' Club and Sams Club.