Latest news with #Furner
Axios
12-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Inside Walmart's plan to source more products from American small businesses
Walmart is taking steps to source more products from U.S.-based small business suppliers as the world's largest retailer tries to keep prices low. Why it matters: Walmart recently confirmed plans to raise some prices as it grapples with the impact of increased tariffs, drawing the ire of President Trump. The big picture: Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner tells Axios in an exclusive interview that the company wants to give more small American businesses a chance to sell goods at the company, which already devotes about two-thirds of its product spend to goods that are made, grown or assembled in the U.S. "It's always helpful when you have the shortest supply chain possible," Furner says. Zoom in: Walmart now has more than half a billion items for sale online, Furner said. And the company expects to offer three-hour delivery to 95% of the country by the end of 2025, up from 90% today, he added. The intrigue: Despite the impact of tariffs, Furner said Walmart is not experiencing significant cost increases. "We're at a point today where inflation is relatively low," he said. "What we're trying to do is keep prices as low as we can, as long as we can, to not have our customers in a position where they feel like their food bills or basic essentials are starting to rise again," he added. Inside the room: At a Walmart reception Wednesday in Washington, D.C., several small to mid-size business owners told Axios they are growing their operations after reaching deals to sell products with the retailer. David Sarnoff, president of Handi-foil, tells Axios his company is adding jobs at its facilities in Illinois to accommodate for growth from sales of its cooking pans at Walmart. Brian Waddick, founder of sunflower seeds brand Smackin', tells Axios his startup expects to "double or triple" in size in the next 18 months as it launches sales in hundreds of Walmart locations: "We want to be the Gen Z PepsiCo," he says.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Walmart set to open 5 stores and 1 new Sam's Club: Here's where
Walmart is set to expand its footprint, with five stores slated to open by the end of September. The big box giant's CEO John Funer said in a January 2024 press release it plans to build or convert more than 150 stores. Furner said in the same press release that Walmart plans to renovate more than 650 locations across 47 states. In April, the company said in a press release that it will renovate all 600 Sam's Club locations, open 30 new clubs as originally announced in 2023 and build "a pipeline to open approximately 15 new clubs each year." "We are not limited by our physicality — we are enabled by it," Sam's Club President and CEO Chris Nicholas said during the company's 2025 Investment Community Meeting. "Our omnichannel model creates more opportunities to engage with members where they are, and how they want to shop." Here's where Walmart and Sam's Club are opening new locations. A Walmart spokesperson told USA TODAY that the company is set to open 10 locations by the end of the year. The spokesperson confirmed that the following locations are set to open by the end of September: Walmart Neighborhood Market – 8600 Hwy 69, Tuscaloosa, Alabama – Mid-June Walmart Supercenter Conversion – 600 Showers Dr., Mountain View, California – July Walmart Supercenter – 9399 North Spring Run Parkway, Eagle Mountain, Utah – August Walmart Neighborhood Market – 6275 US-90, Milton, Florida – August Walmart Neighborhood Market – 4239 Berryhill Road, Pace, Florida – September The company also confirmed that a Sam's Club location in Tempe, Arizona is set to open in early August. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walmart to open 5 new stores. See where new locations will be
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Walmart set to open 5 stores and 1 new Sam's Club: Here's where
Walmart is set to expand its footprint, with five stores slated to open by the end of September. The big box giant's CEO John Funer said in a January 2024 press release it plans to build or convert more than 150 stores. Furner said in the same press release that Walmart plans to renovate more than 650 locations across 47 states. In April, the company said in a press release that it will renovate all 600 Sam's Club locations, open 30 new clubs as originally announced in 2023 and build "a pipeline to open approximately 15 new clubs each year." "We are not limited by our physicality — we are enabled by it," Sam's Club President and CEO Chris Nicholas said during the company's 2025 Investment Community Meeting. "Our omnichannel model creates more opportunities to engage with members where they are, and how they want to shop." Here's where Walmart and Sam's Club are opening new locations. A Walmart spokesperson told USA TODAY that the company is set to open 10 locations by the end of the year. The spokesperson confirmed that the following locations are set to open by the end of September: Walmart Neighborhood Market – 8600 Hwy 69, Tuscaloosa, Alabama – Mid-June Walmart Supercenter Conversion – 600 Showers Dr., Mountain View, California – July Walmart Supercenter – 9399 North Spring Run Parkway, Eagle Mountain, Utah – August Walmart Neighborhood Market – 6275 US-90, Milton, Florida – August Walmart Neighborhood Market – 4239 Berryhill Road, Pace, Florida – September The company also confirmed that a Sam's Club location in Tempe, Arizona is set to open in early August. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walmart to open 5 new stores. See where new locations will be Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Miami Herald
05-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Walmart opens first new Supercenter in 4 years
Dive Brief: Part of a larger multimillion-dollar modernization plan, Walmart opened its first ground-up Supercenter store in four years and its first under the "Store of the Future" model in the U.S., according to a Wednesday press new space - located in Cypress, Texas - features a full-service fuel station, an updated vision care center, storewide digital shelf labels and more. Additionally, the store caters to regional preferences with additions such as a Hispanic bakery section and a fresh tortilla retailer plans to open four additional Supercenters across the U.S. in 2025 and convert two existing stores into full Supercenters. Dive Insight: Walmart is going big on store innovation as it acts on its 2025 growth plans. "This store was built with the customer in mind," Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said in a statement. "It's part of a larger transformation happening across our stores as we reimagine what shopping looks like for the future." The Cypress Supercenter offers the ability for customers to schedule TV mounting, update registries and book tire installation via the retailer's app. It also features "elevated departments in Fashion, Baby, Home and Pets," per the release, as well as a Dunkin'. At Walmart's investor day in April, Furner told attendees that the company plans to open a dozen more stores this year, adding to its existing fleet of about 4,600 locations across the U.S. Walmart isn't just growing its Supercenter footprint in the U.S., either. The retailer announced in April that it would also expand its Supercenter efforts in Mexico. Walmart of Mexico and Central America said it would invest $6 billion to open new stores under the Bodega Aurrera, Sam's Club, Walmart Supercenters and Walmart Express banners. While the retailer's physical footprint is a core component of its business, e-commerce is thriving for Walmart in the U.S. Online sales are anticipated to turn a profit this year and in Q1, e-commerce is already in the black, per executives during the investor day. At its stores across the country, grocery continues to be a main driver of its success. The business segment brought in $276 billion in net sales for its fiscal year 2025 and accounted for nearly 60% of the retailer's annual net sales of $462 billion. Copyright 2025 Industry Dive. All rights reserved.
Axios
29-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Walmart expands support for American-made products
Walmart is expanding support for American-made products through new programs to help small businesses, the retailer shared exclusively with Axios Tuesday. Why it matters: Growing the pipeline to have more items made in the U.S. can help insulate the world's largest retailer — and consumers — from the effects of tariffs and the trade war. The big picture: Walmart announced a new "Grow with US" program and shared details of the upcoming 2025 Open Call to make it "easier for U.S.-based entrepreneurs to navigate the complexities of retail and bring their products to a national stage." "We anticipate thousands of small businesses will take advantage of these free resources over the coming years," John Furner, Walmart U.S. president and CEO, told Axios. Catch up quick: Walmart said in 2021 that it planned to spend an additional $350 billion by 2030 on items made, grown or assembled in the U.S., which the company estimated would help generate 750,000 jobs nationwide. More than two-thirds of products sold in Walmart U.S. stores are "made, grown or assembled" in the country, company CFO John David Rainey said at the company's investment community meeting earlier this month. "The third that we import comes from all over the world, but China and Mexico are the most significant," Rainey said. Walmart "Grow with US" program Zoom in: Walmart's new "Grow with US" is a four-step program designed to provide U.S. small businesses with training, mentorship and resources needed to grow with the company, Furner said. "We've seen firsthand how investing in small businesses results in better assortment, better meeting the needs of our customer base, and supporting jobs and growth in communities," Furner told Axios. Furner said more than 60% of all U.S. suppliers last year were small businesses. The program is part of Walmart's "expanding commitment to small business development," joining programs around the world, including "Crece con Walmart" in Mexico and "Vriddhi" in India. The programs have graduated 70,000 small businesses in four years, Walmart said. How it works: U.S. small businesses interested in participating can register with Walmart by providing a voluntary Small Business Administration certification, or by requesting verification through the retailer. Walmart Open Call 2025 State of play: Applications for Walmart's annual Open Call event open June 24. U.S.-based small and medium-sized businesses will get the chance to pitch their shelf-ready products directly to Walmart and Sam's Club merchants. Merchandise reviewed could end up on shelves at Walmart or Sam's Club stores, or Walmart Marketplace. The Open Call event is Oct. 7-8 in Bentonville, Arkansas but there are several pop-up pitch events for aspiring suppliers beforehand where some "potentially score a fast pass to our main event in Bentonville," Furner said.
