BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart announced March 26 it is accepting applications until April 30, 2019 for an open call for brands interested in selling US-manufactured products on its shelves. The open call is scheduled for June 18-19, 2019 at Walmart’s Home Office campus in Bentonville.
“Our customers tell us that products made, sourced or grown in the US are important to them and we work year-round to identify local suppliers and source products that our customers are proud to buy,” said Cindi Marsiglio, VP of merchandise services and US manufacturing for Walmart. “Walmart’s Annual Open Call gives us a unique opportunity to meet entrepreneurs from across the country and discover new, niche and innovative products that fill a need for our customers and support jobs right here in America.”
This marks the sixth annual open call hosted by Walmart. According to the company, buyers held nearly 600 meetings during the 2018 open call with various sellers from 46 states and Puerto Rico, of which 25% represented women-owned businesses.
“Our participation in the open call opportunity has had an amazing impact on our business,” said Justin Mark, JustinTimeSnacks, which recently launched its Homeplate Pizza on Walmart’s shelves in Missouri. “The Walmart deal we secured has led to expansion for increased production that allows us to now own a 5,000 sq.-ft. manufacturing facility. Additionally, all of our ingredients and even the packaging is sourced through local businesses creating jobs across the St. Louis area,” Mark added.
According to a presentation by David Sprinkle from Packaged Facts during Global Pet Expo 2019, an estimated 42% of domestic pet food brands promote their products as “Made in the USA,” making it one of the leading claims in the pet food market today.
In 2013, Walmart pledged to buy $250 billion in US-manufactured products by 2023 to support domestic jobs and entrepreneurship. Learn more about the open call at https://engage.walmart-jump.com/.
Read more articles about selling pet food in North America.
