Walmart Inc. owns Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club is run through two Walmart subsidiaries, Sam’s West, Inc. and Sam’s East, Inc., which Walmart owns 100%. Sam Walton founded Sam’s Club in 1983, and today it is led by President and CEO Latriece Watkins. Sam’s Club has no stock of its own, so its ultimate owners are Walmart’s shareholders, led by the Walton family.
In this guide, I explain how Walmart owns Sam’s Club, who runs it, how it started, how big it is, and how it compares with Costco. All figures come from Walmart’s own filings and announcements.
Key Takeaways
- Walmart owns 100% of Sam’s Club through Sam’s West, Inc. and Sam’s East, Inc., according to Walmart’s SEC subsidiary list.
- Latriece Watkins became President and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S. on February 1, 2026.
- Sam’s Club had $93.0 billion in net sales in fiscal 2026, 13% of Walmart’s total, from 601 clubs.
- Sam Walton opened the first Sam’s Club on April 7, 1983, in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
- Sam’s Club is not owned by Costco. Costco is a separate company and its biggest rival.
Who Owns Sam’s Club Today?
Sam’s Club is wholly owned by Walmart Inc. It is not a separate public company. Walmart’s list of significant subsidiaries, filed with its 10-K, shows the ownership structure:
| Walmart subsidiary | Where incorporated | Walmart’s ownership | Does business as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam’s West, Inc. | Arkansas | 100% | Sam’s Club |
| Sam’s East, Inc. | Arkansas | 100% | Sam’s Club |
| Sam’s Property Company | Delaware | 100% | Not applicable |
| Sam’s Real Estate Business Trust | Delaware | 100% | Not applicable |
So when you shop at Sam’s Club, you are buying from Walmart. Sam’s Club is reported as one of Walmart’s three business segments, alongside Walmart U.S. and Walmart International.
Who ultimately owns Sam’s Club, then? Walmart’s shareholders. The largest is the Walton family, which holds about 44% of Walmart through Walton Enterprises and a family trust. We break this down in our guide on who owns Walmart.
Does Walmart Own Sam’s Club?
Yes. Sam’s Club has been part of Walmart since Sam Walton founded it in 1983.
The two businesses are closely linked but run differently:
| Sam’s Club | Walmart stores | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Walmart Inc. | Walmart Inc. |
| Format | Membership-only warehouse club | Open to all shoppers |
| Products | Up to about 7,000 items | Hundreds of thousands at Supercenters |
| Membership fee | Yes, yearly | No |
| Headquarters | Bentonville, Arkansas | Bentonville, Arkansas |
The product counts come from a Food Republic article published on Yahoo in October 2026. The same article notes that Walmart and Sam’s Club announced in September 2024 that they were merging their supply chains.
Why does Walmart run two store brands? They serve different needs. Walmart stores sell single items at low prices to anyone. Sam’s Club sells bulk packs at low prices to paying members.
Who Founded Sam’s Club?
Sam Walton founded Sam’s Club, the same man who founded Walmart. The first club opened on April 7, 1983, in Midwest City, Oklahoma, according to Walmart’s Sam’s Club history timeline. Its first president was Ron Loveless.
Sam Walton founded it, but he does not own it today. Sam Walton died in 1992, and Sam’s Club stayed inside Walmart.
Sam’s Club history timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1983 | First club opens in Midwest City, Oklahoma |
| 1987 | Signs its one millionth member |
| 1991 | First international club opens in Mexico City |
| 1994 | Buys 91 Pace Clubs from Kmart |
| 1996 | Samsclub.com launches; first club in China |
| 1998 | Member’s Mark private brand debuts |
| 1999 | Plus memberships introduced |
| 2002 | Reaches 500 clubs |
| 2016 | Scan & Go launches |
| 2022 | Sam’s Cash rewards launch; Member’s Mark relaunches |
| 2023 | 40th anniversary; $84 billion in sales |
| 2026 | Latriece Watkins becomes CEO |
Who Is the CEO of Sam’s Club?
Latriece Watkins is President and CEO of Sam’s Club. Walmart announced her appointment on January 16, 2026, and it took effect on February 1, 2026, according to Walmart’s leadership announcement. Before that, she was Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer for Walmart U.S. Walmart says she has held roles across Sam’s Club, Walmart U.S. merchandising, People and US store operations.
She replaced Chris Nicholas, who led Sam’s Club from September 2023 and moved to run Walmart International.
Sam’s Club’s leadership team
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Latriece Watkins | President and CEO |
| Myron Frazier | EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer |
| Steve Schrobilgen | EVP and Chief Operating Officer |
| Rhianon DeLeeuw | SVP and Chief Financial Officer |
Sam’s Club as Walmart’s CEO training ground
Sam’s Club has produced two of Walmart’s CEOs. Walmart’s timeline shows Doug McMillon was named Sam’s Club CEO in 2005, and John Furner in 2017. Both later became CEO of all of Walmart. Furner took over Walmart on February 1, 2026.
For me, this is one of the most interesting facts about Sam’s Club. Running it is a test of whether a leader can manage a large, fast-moving business inside Walmart.
How Big Is Sam’s Club?
Sam’s Club is a large business on its own. In fiscal 2026 (ended January 2026), Sam’s Club U.S. had $93.0 billion in net sales, about 13% of Walmart’s total, from 601 clubs in 44 states and Puerto Rico, according to Walmart’s 10-K.
It is still growing. In the quarter ended July 31, 2026, Sam’s Club U.S. reported:
| Measure | Q2 fiscal 2027 |
|---|---|
| Net sales | $25.7 billion (+8.8%) |
| Comparable sales, excluding fuel | +4.4% |
| Membership fee revenue | +6% |
| eCommerce sales | +26% |
| Operating income | $678 million (+44.3%) |
These figures come from Walmart’s second-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings release. The operating income jump partly reflects $80 million in reorganization charges in the prior year.
Sam’s Club’s growth plans
At its April 2025 investment meeting, Sam’s Club said it plans to:
- Double its membership over the next 8 to 10 years
- More than double its sales and profit over the same period
- Open about 15 new clubs each year
- Remodel all of its roughly 600 existing clubs
To see how Sam’s Club fits into Walmart’s overall strengths and risks, read our Walmart SWOT analysis.
Who Owns Member’s Mark?
Member’s Mark is Sam’s Club’s own private brand, so it is also owned by Walmart. It debuted in 1998 and relaunched in 2022 as a more sustainable brand, according to Walmart’s Sam’s Club timeline.
Member’s Mark is a big part of Sam’s Club’s growth. Sam’s Club said in April 2025 that Member’s Mark made up about 50% of its merchandise sales growth over the previous two years. In May 2026, Walmart said its Member’s Mark Community, where members help design products, had grown to more than 150,000 participants. It also said it had removed more than 40 unwanted ingredients from 100% of Member’s Mark food and drink products, excluding sports nutrition and over-the-counter items.
Is Sam’s Club Owned by Costco?
No. Sam’s Club and Costco are separate companies and direct rivals. Costco is its own public company, while Sam’s Club is part of Walmart.
| Sam’s Club | Costco | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Walmart Inc. | Costco Wholesale (public company) |
| Latest yearly sales | $93.0 billion (FY2026) | $297.2 billion (FY2026) |
| Locations | 601 clubs | 939 warehouses |
| Model | Membership warehouse club | Membership warehouse club |
Costco is about three times larger by sales. BJ’s Wholesale Club, a smaller rival, reported $21.5 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue from 263 clubs. We cover these rivals in our list of Walmart competitors.
Is Sam’s Club owned by China? No. Sam’s Club is owned by Walmart, an American company based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Sam’s Club opened its first club in China in 1996, according to Walmart’s timeline, but ownership runs from Walmart in the US.
What Are Sam’s Club’s Strengths and Challenges?
| Strengths | Challenges |
|---|---|
| Backed by Walmart’s scale and supply chain | Costco is about three times larger by sales |
| Fast eCommerce growth (+26% in Q2 fiscal 2027) | Membership fee growth (+6%) slower than Walmart’s overall (+17%) |
| Member’s Mark driving about half of recent merchandise growth | Needs to open about 15 clubs a year to hit its goals |
| Operating income up 44.3% in Q2 fiscal 2027 | Fewer locations than Costco (601 vs 939) |
The membership fee comparison uses the same Q2 fiscal 2027 release: Walmart’s global membership fee revenue grew 17%, while Sam’s Club U.S. grew 6%.
What is Sam’s Club’s biggest challenge? For me, it is size. Costco has more locations and about three times the sales, so Sam’s Club must grow faster to close the gap. Its plan to open 15 clubs a year and remodel every club is aimed at exactly that.
Sam’s Club also feels the same outside pressures as Walmart, from tariffs to stretched low-income shoppers, as covered in our PESTLE analysis of Walmart. And while Sam’s Club competes mainly with Costco, Walmart’s general stores compete with Target, as we compare in Walmart vs Target.
How Does Sam’s Club Membership Work With Walmart?
Sam’s Club is members-only, and members pay a yearly fee. In April 2026, Sam’s Club raised its annual membership fees for the first time in four years, according to Simply Wall St on Yahoo Finance.
Because both are owned by Walmart, the two companies also share memberships. In October 2026, Walmart launched a combined Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus membership for $120 a year, according to The National Desk. It includes free delivery from both stores, a choice of Peacock or Paramount+, gas discounts and 2% Sam’s Cash. For how Walmart+ compares with Amazon Prime, see Walmart vs Amazon.
Why Does Sam’s Club Ownership Matter?
- For shoppers: For me, the main benefit is scale. Sam’s Club shares Walmart’s supply chain, which Walmart announced it was merging with Sam’s in September 2024.
- For investors: You cannot buy Sam’s Club stock. To invest in Sam’s Club, you buy Walmart shares (WMT on Nasdaq).
- For students: Sam’s Club shows how one parent company can run two very different store formats aimed at different shoppers. It is a useful case study in retail marketing.
Bottom Line
Walmart owns Sam’s Club outright, through two 100%-owned subsidiaries, and has since Sam Walton founded it in 1983. Latriece Watkins now runs it as CEO, and it brought in $93.0 billion in fiscal 2026. For me, the most telling detail is that Sam’s Club has become Walmart’s CEO training ground, with both Doug McMillon and John Furner leading it before running all of Walmart. To compare how a different retail giant is owned, read our guide on who owns Amazon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sam’s Club is part of Walmart, not a separate company. Walmart owns it 100% through two subsidiaries, Sam’s West, Inc. and Sam’s East, Inc., and reports it as one of its three business segments.
Not by itself. Walmart+ and Sam’s Club membership are separate, but since October 2026 Walmart has offered a combined Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus membership for $120 a year that covers both stores.
Indirectly. The Walton family owns about 44% of Walmart, and Walmart owns 100% of Sam’s Club. So the family’s stake in Sam’s Club comes through its Walmart shares, not direct ownership of the clubs.
Chris Nicholas led Sam’s Club from September 2023 until February 2026, when he moved to run Walmart International. Earlier Sam’s Club CEOs included Kath McLay, John Furner and Doug McMillon.
Sam’s Club had 601 clubs in 44 states and Puerto Rico at the end of fiscal 2026, according to Walmart’s 10-K. It plans to open about 15 new clubs each year and remodel all existing clubs.
