As we look to the future of retail, we’re not just thinking about great products and a top-notch shopping experience. We’re leading the way in building a resilient supply chain that provides our customers access to products they want when they want them, however they choose to shop.
Last week, we hosted nearly 60 business leaders from all over Europe to join us in Bentonville, Ark., for our first European Supplier Summit. The two-day event centered on innovation and opportunity in our supply chain, while also connecting Walmart leaders with potential suppliers as we look for new ways to help our customers save money and live better.
The customer is number one, always
Our mission of helping customers save money and live better is at the heart of everything we do, and in our changing world, we must continue to transform and innovate to succeed in that mission.
During the summit, Walmart leaders from across merchandising, sourcing and sustainability met with attendees to discuss our priorities as a company and how we can work more collaboratively to deliver for our customers and communities, no matter where or how they shop.
That means meeting customers where they are and creating redundancies in our supply chain to ensure their needs are met. We have so many shopping options for our customers – in-store, online, on the app and more – and these are all opportunities to work with suppliers on lowering the likelihood of product outs. Cultivating and strengthening global relationships will help make Walmart the go-to destination across categories – no matter what is happening in the world. And that makes for big wins for our customers.
Silvia Kawas, EVP, consumables, Walmart U.S., and John Laney, EVP, food, Walmart U.S., sit down for a Q&A with Jason Fremstad at the European Supplier Summit.
Partnerships for the future
We’re looking to move beyond traditional, transactional relationships with our suppliers to build a supply chain that seeks to minimize risk and maximize opportunity. That’s why we spent time with these business leaders and helped them get to know what we’re all about here at Walmart.
As we toured some of our local stores and clubs, we talked about opportunities for growth and our commitment to nurturing our partnerships with suppliers. We want our suppliers to succeed, and that means working closely together to better understand their goals. How can we simplify our process and develop a more robust supplier pipeline? What more can we do to help develop our suppliers through education, upskilling and support programs? We see real opportunity in supplier development, and I’m excited to work alongside existing and future suppliers and our Walmart teams to create solutions for both business leaders and customers.
At Walmart, we know all about transformation and innovation, and our first-of-its-kind European Supplier Summit is another example of how we’re working to serve our customers all around the world.
Our suppliers help us meet the needs of hundreds of millions of customers each week with responsibly produced products and services. If you’re interested in becoming a Walmart supplier, learn more here. We can’t wait to build a future with you.
