Sam Walton’s Son Robson Named to Head Wal-Mart : Retailing: The 47-year-old had been vice chairman of the nation’s largest store chain.

S. Robson (Rob) Walton, the 47-year-old son of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. founder Sam Walton, was named Monday to succeed his father as chairman of the nation’s biggest retailing company. The elder Walton died Sunday after a lengthy illness.

Rob Walton, who had been vice chairman, had been widely expected to succeed his father. He has been on Wal-Mart’s board since joining the company in 1978, and also served as secretary, general counsel and senior vice president.

The job of running the company’s daily operations will remain in the hands of David Glass, 56, Wal-Mart’s president and chief executive since 1988. Rob Walton’s role mainly will be setting policy, said Kurt Barnard, president of the New York-based Retail Marketing Report.

A Walton family trust owns 38% of Wal-Mart stock, the biggest stake in the company. The trust, established in 1990, equally divided the stock and voting rights among Sam Walton and his four children, of whom Rob is the oldest.

Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., said it has no plans to change its policies or direction. The company, which operates 1,735 Wal-Mart outlets, primarily in small Southern and Midwestern towns, has been planning to open more stores in larger cities and in the West and Northeast.

Wal-Mart’s stock closed Monday at $52.875, up $1.25, in heavy trading on the New York Stock Exchange.