Kmart became the first major nonfood retailer to employ them as a means of tracking inventory in the early 1980s, several years before Walton made this technology a core building block of his distribution system.
( Kmart ( ( ( became ( the ( first ( major ( nonfood retailer ) ) ) ) ) ( to ( ( ( employ them ) ( as ( ( a means ) ( of ( ( tracking inventory ) ( in ( ( ( the ( early 1980s ) ) , ) ( several years ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( before ( Walton ( ( made ( this technology ) ) ( ( a ( core ( building block ) ) ) ( of ( his ( distribution system ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) . ) )
(ROOT (S (NP (NNP Kmart)) (VP (VBD became) (NP (DT the) (JJ first) (JJ major) (JJ nonfood) (NN retailer)) (S (VP (TO to) (VP (VB employ) (NP (PRP them)) (PP (IN as) (NP (NP (DT a) (NN means)) (PP (IN of) (S (VP (VBG tracking) (NP (NN inventory)) (PP (IN in) (NP (NP (DT the) (JJ early) (NNS 1980s)) (, ,) (NP (JJ several) (NNS years))))))))) (SBAR (IN before) (S (NP (NNP Walton)) (VP (VBD made) (NP (DT this) (NN technology)) (NP (NP (DT a) (JJ core) (NN building) (NN block)) (PP (IN of) (NP (PRP$ his) (NN distribution) (NN system))))))))))) (. .)))
Many other retailers followed the new distribution system.
( ( Many ( other retailers ) ) ( ( followed ( the ( new ( distribution system ) ) ) ) . ) )
(ROOT (S (NP (JJ Many) (JJ other) (NNS retailers)) (VP (VBD followed) (NP (DT the) (JJ new) (NN distribution) (NN system))) (. .)))