Walmart is successfully calling on Made in USA suppliers
For the third year in a row, Walmart is opening its doors to more than 450 entrepreneurs during the company’s “Made in the USA” Open Call event for products made, assembled or grown in the U.S. The event is part of Walmart’s fourth annual U.S. Manufacturing Summit, hosted at the company’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Every Shelf-Stable Item Pitched, with a Few Exceptions, will be on Walmart.Com with Deals for Walmart Stores and Sam’s Club Being Made on the Spot
Hundreds of potential and current suppliers representing companies large and small from coast to coast are pitching everything from food to toys to apparel, and meeting with hundreds of Walmart’s buyers for the chance to sell their U.S. made products at Walmart. The company is putting every shelf-stable item pitched at Open Call on Walmart.com. With very few exceptions, everything is a yes! Deals are possible from just a few to thousands of Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations across the country.
“We are thrilled to put hundreds of new Made in the USA products on Walmart.com,” said Michelle Gloeckler, executive vice president, Consumables, Health & Wellness, U.S. Manufacturing Lead. “Walmart’s USD 250 billion commitment to buy products supporting American jobs is having a tangible impact on communities across the country as factories expand or open to make products for Walmart stores, Walmart.com and Sam’s Club.”
“Landing a deal with Walmart was huge for our small company,” said Courtny Squibb with Schultz Laboratories MFR., Inc. in Granger, Iowa. “Since last year’s Open Call, our white diamond metal polish is now in more than 2500 Walmart stores and Walmart.com.”
The 2016 U.S. Manufacturing Summit and Open Call, with companies attending from more than 40 states and nearly 800 meetings taking place, are part of Walmart’s commitment to investing in American jobs, having pledged in 2013 to purchase an additional $250 billion in U.S. made products by 2023.
If a product is made in America, or if it supports American jobs – Walmart wants it on our shelves.
That’s the message Walmart delivered at its fourth U.S. Manufacturing Summit. Entrepreneurs from more than 40 states crowded into four buildings across our Bentonville, Arkansas campus to participate in 800 pitch meetings with our Sam’s Club, Walmart and Walmart.com buying teams. As always, it was awesome to spend the day with people of all backgrounds united in the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurism.
Walmart has been on this journey since January 2013 when we announced our commitment to purchase an additional USD 250 billion of goods that support American jobs. This year was extra special, because we had a big surprise for our Open Callers. It was one beautiful word: “YES!” W Walmart said YES to virtually all items presented. If it can ship safely to a customer’s home, then we are, at a minimum, listing it on Walmart.com. Of course, many items will also be available on store shelves – in some cases just 40 stores, or 4500 depending on customer demand and available supply. Whether you’re a family-owned start-up or a longtime supplier looking to expand production, the chance to sell YOUR product to the 140 million Americans Walmart serves each week is a game-changer.
So what’s in a yes for a new supplier to Walmart? Excitement. Tears of joy. Disbelief. And maybe some nervousness, thinking of the hard work required to meet the demand of a large retail order. But what really stood out were the personal stories of the people that brought their American-made items to sell at Walmart, such as
– Two innovators who, despite not knowing each other, shared a rental car and drove nearly all night to make their appointment when their late evening flight was cancelled
– The teenage CEO who pitched her own product to buyers
– Two brothers, one a policeman and one a fireman, whose barbecue sauce started as a local competition between the two civic forces