Is Wal-Mart Changing Its Name?

I saw a headline earlier that shocked me- big box retailer Wal-Mart is officially changing its name. Knowing that couldn't possibly be true, I had to investigate. What I found was that Wal-Mart is, indeed, changing its moniker, but it's not as drastic of a change as you may think.

According to USA Today, Wal-Mart is removing the dash and the "stores" part from its legal title, making the retailer henceforth known as simply Walmart. The reason behind the move? The company is trying to focus not only on their physical stores, but also on e-commerce.

"While our legal name is used in a limited number of places, we felt it was best to have a name that was consistent with the idea that you can shop us however you like as a customer,'' Doug McMillon, Walmart's president and CEO, said in a statement.

What's interesting to me is that most of the storefronts I've seen have always used the name without the dash. However, I have also seen it spelled with a dash when written out. Still, who knew this move was even necessary for the company to make? But I suppose it seems like a smart decision if they're trying to compete with websites like Amazon.

H/T to Mark Charvat from TSM Rockford.