Kathryn McLay, who was appointed CEO of Walmart International in January 2023, has announced she will step down from her role but will remain with the company through March 31 to assist with leadership transition. During her two-year tenure, McLay oversaw the expansion of Walmart’s operations in markets including Mexico, Canada and the UK, driving a 5.4% comparable-store sales increase and integrating a unified inventory management system across 6,100 international locations. Her departure comes as Walmart refines its global leadership structure ahead of accelerated investments in e-commerce and digital transformation.

This week Walmart publicly embraced a shared standard for agentic artificial-intelligence commerce, announcing a joint initiative with Google to develop universal commerce protocol specifications. Under the new framework, autonomous shopping agents will be able to access real-time inventory and pricing across Walmart’s 5,300 U.S. stores and online channels. The move contrasts with Amazon’s strategy of proprietary frictionless technology, exemplified by its expansion of ‘‘Just Walk Out’’ kiosks. By prioritizing interoperability, Walmart aims to cement its position as the easiest retailer for third-party AI agents to integrate, reinforcing its leadership in grocery and essential goods as the retail landscape evolves toward 2050.

On January 15, Walmart opened its first Supercenter in Eastvale, California, at 14100 Limonite Avenue. The 182,000-square-foot store adds 300 new jobs with competitive pay and benefits, including access to Walmart’s Live Better U education program. It features a full grocery assortment, a pharmacy offering hundreds of low-cost prescriptions through the $4 Prescription Program, a Vision Center, clinic services and a fuel station. With this opening, Walmart underscores its strategy of leveraging a nationwide network of 10,750 stores—visited by approximately 270 million customers weekly—to accelerate one-hour delivery and curbside pickup capabilities.

According to PYMNTS Intelligence, Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce sales grew 27.2% year-over-year in Q3 2025, outpacing Amazon’s 9.6% growth, and have more than doubled (+115.6%) since early 2022. While Amazon retains a 56% share of U.S. online retail spending, Walmart has increased its share to 9.6%, up from 5.3% three years ago. Walmart’s digital business now represents roughly 20% of its total U.S. revenue, driven by omnichannel fulfillment from its store network. As grocery shifts online—where Walmart controls nearly 40% of total grocery sales—the company is leveraging its scale to reduce last-mile costs and reinforce customer trust in everyday low-price essentials.