Walmart opened applications on July 18 for its tenth annual Open Call, inviting small businesses and entrepreneurs to pitch products for Walmart or Sam's Club shelves or online sales. The application window ran through August 18, ahead of an event scheduled for October 24 and 25. The retailer framed the program within its ten-year, $350 billion commitment to source U.S.-made, grown or assembled products. [story-s1]
The pitch opportunity was not limited to a possible purchase order. Walmart said all finalists would receive mentoring sessions with company leaders and guest speakers, plus one-on-one pitch meetings with Walmart and/or Sam's Club merchants. The company described a “golden ticket” as signifying a deal to sell products on its shelves or online—an important distinction between reaching the finalist stage and securing a retail deal. [story-s1]
The release also described two routes for widening supplier discovery beyond the event itself. A Made Local trailer tour, which began July 10 in Frederick, Maryland, was scheduled to visit Philadelphia, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Chicago; visitors could submit an application video and meet local suppliers who had secured earlier deals. Separately, Walmart said its Lead with Local snacks initiative was already in more than 130 stores, featuring locally made snacks. Those mechanisms suggest an operational strategy that combines a national merchant-pitch event with local discovery—but the company release offers its own account, not independent evidence of the program's commercial results. [story-s1]
Source documents
- Walmart Kicks Off Application Period for Open Call 2023, Beginning Countdown to Open Call’s Tenth Anniversaryhttps://corporate.walmart.com/news/2023/07/18/walmart-kicks-off-application-period-for-open-call-2023-beginning-countdown-to-open-calls-tenth-anniversary