Fernando Ozuna
An Examination of the Geodemographic Element of the Location Strategy of Wal-Mart In the Federal District, Mexico © 2005
Wal-Mart is the biggest retailer worldwide with operations in America, Asia and Europe. The Mexican division is one of the most successful operations of the firm abroad. The corporation is not only the biggest retailer but also the main private employer of the country. The business of Wal-Mart in Mexico is organized in a multiformat platform with supermarket, restaurant and apparel chains.
This paper assesses the population characteristics of surrounding areas for three banners of Wal-Mart (Sam's Club, Wal-Mart Supercenter and Bodega Aurrera) in the Federal District, Mexico. The study is focused on examining the population characteristics of surrounding areas of Wal-Mart stores. The research uses a series of statistical techniques (k-means clustering, principal component analysis and discriminant analysis) in order to appraise the demographic attributes of a representation of the trade areas of the stores. As a result, the types of markets targeted by each retail chain can be depicted.