Wal-Mart lifted

Wal-Mart’s annual sales rose to just short of $345bn during its past fiscal year, roughly three times larger than Carrefour, its nearest global rival.

The retailer’s overall sales increased almost 11 per cent during the year, despite the sale of its loss-making operations in Germany and South Korea, which were offset by expansion in Latin America and new investment at its Seiyu subsidiary in Japan.