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Opportunity

Living better means greater access to opportunity. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation support initiatives that provide opportunities through job training and placement, as well as greater access to the resources that help people become self-sufficient. From our commitment to hire military veterans and address the barriers facing women entering the global workforce, to our focus on domestic manufacturing, we’re enabling career success and economic mobility.

Empowering women worldwide

Since September 2011, we’ve been focused on leveraging our size and scale to empower women across our global supply chain. We believe empowering women is the right thing to do and will make us a more successful retailer.

The majority of our 245 million customers per week are women, and women control more than $20 trillion of annual consumer spending globally. With nearly 1 billion women estimated to enter the global economy during the coming decade, we take a leadership role in training, sourcing from and providing access to markets for those women because we know it promotes economic growth and better lives for their families. Through our global Women’s Economic Empowerment initiative, Walmart has committed to making a substantial difference in three key areas – sourcing, training and diversity and inclusion – by the end of 2016.

Maggie Cook – Maggie Salsa

2013 Sam’s Club Supplier Diversity Summit

“WBENC is honored to support Walmart’s initiative to empower women entrepreneurs around the world by participating as a member of their Women-Owned Business Advisory Council (WOBAC). Walmart’s visible commitment to women and delivery of opportunities and tools make it a market leader in advancing the business environment for women-owned businesses.”

—Pamela Prince-Eason,
president and CEO, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)

Sourcing goals

Increase sourcing from women-owned businesses (WOBs)

In 2012, an estimated 224 million women were starting or running businesses in 67 countries around the world. Many of these women are planning for significant business growth; however, substantial barriers challenge female entrepreneurs who hope to grow their businesses. For example, although 29 percent of U.S. businesses are women-owned, enterprises owned by men are more than three times as likely to reach $1 million in annual revenue. We work to address barriers and help women-owned businesses (WOBs) and our merchants work more effectively together.

Source $20 billion from women-owned businesses for our U.S. business by the end of 2016

Over the past two years, we’ve developed a comprehensive WOB sourcing strategy. To achieve our end goal of $20 billion, we set annual targets for our U.S. business. We’ve met those targets through the first two years, and our spend with women was up significantly for FY2014.

Key to our success has been our Women-Owned Business Advisory Council (WOBAC) made up of internal advisors, industry leaders, our merchants and suppliers. Through conversations with industry leaders, our merchants and suppliers, we’ve identified challenges facing WOBs and, along with Supplier Diversity and Supplier Administration, we’ve implemented a variety of tools and resources to address them. The following represents a few successful examples that we believe will live well beyond this particular initiative:

Scorecards:

We developed scorecards to ensure merchants and other leaders have visibility into the WOBs and diverse suppliers they work with and how each area of the business is tracking against its target. These tools drive focus and accountability across the business.


Supplier Academy:

In November 2013, Walmart launched Supplier Academy, a set of online educational modules designed to prepare “merchant-ready” suppliers and buyers to work with them. Modules such as “Keys to a Successful Buyer Presentation” and “Working with Small and Diverse Suppliers” are aimed at developing strong working relationships and set both sides up for success.

Supplier summits:

In 2013, Walmart conducted two types of supplier summits. The first allowed our teams to discuss strategic business growth opportunities with current WOB suppliers. The second focused on finding new suppliers. All in all, Walmart and Sam’s Club held 10 summits last year to help grow existing or identify new suppliers for our business.

Double what we source from women-owned businesses for our international markets by the end of 2016

Our 11 international markets vary greatly in their economic and cultural contexts. To reach our doubling goal, we need tailored strategies by market. Our first step has been to establish a baseline, then to analyze our supply base, then research the business and cultural realities that affect WOBs in our markets. The following represents a sampling of the progress we’ve made over the past two years:

  • Assembled a working group representing each of our international markets and Global Sourcing team to share information, ideas, best practices and progress.
  • Identified our WOB suppliers for seven of our international markets.
  • In September 2013, along with other corporate and nonprofits, signed a Clinton Global Initiative mega-commitment to advance women entrepreneurs by training 15,000 women business owners and sourcing $1.5 billion from WOBs outside the U.S. by 2018.
  • Gave two grants to WEConnect International to develop training programs for women entrepreneurs on Accessing Global Corporate Supply Chains and Working with Walmart.
Launch a dedicated e-commerce platform designed to give small women-owned/women-empowering businesses access to our customers

In March 2013, Walmart launched Empowering Women Together (EWT), a destination on Walmart.com that connects small WOBs around the world with customers who are looking for products from women-owned businesses. It began with more than 200 items from 19 suppliers in nine countries and has grown to more than 350 items from 30 suppliers in 12 countries.

In its first year, EWT earned Walmart the 2013 Corporate Citizenship Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for Best Economic Empowerment Program. We look forward to growing the assortment of EWT items and more than doubling our volume in 2014. Also, watch for these products to arrive on shelves in your local Walmart store.

Best Economic Empowerment Program

Training goals

Train nearly 1 million women globally by the end of 2016
Best Economic Empowerment Program

In 2011, we launched our training program to contribute to improving the lives of underserved women around the world. We’re taking a leadership role in providing opportunity for these women because we know it promotes economic growth and better lives for their families.

Our training initiative is focused on reaching nearly 1 million women in four areas:

  • 500,000 women farmers and farm workers in emerging markets learn improved agricultural practices.
  • 200,000 women in the U.S. from low-income households gain the work skills and support needed to obtain higher-quality employment opportunities.
  • 60,000 women in 150 factories will obtain the skills needed to be successful in the workplace, at home and in the communities.
  • 200,000 women in emerging markets obtain their first job in retail.
Meet Jody Gabriel, single mother and graduate of the Red Cross Nurse Assistant Training Program, to learn how Walmart has empowered her.

To date, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have contributed training to more than 280,000 women on farms, in factories, in retail and for improved career opportunities in the U.S.

With a $1.35 million grant from the Walmart Foundation, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) is expanding a USAID project to reach 40,000 women farmers in Bangladesh. IFDC is teaching these women how to use an environmentally friendly technique called fertilizer deep placement to boost vegetable and fruit yields.

Women on farms

With women in the developing world responsible for 43 percent of all farming, improving agronomic practices is key to better livelihoods. In 2013, we accelerated our pace of training women farmers by focusing our philanthropic support on existing large farmer training projects with leading NGOs and partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

  • In Uganda, our Walmart Foundation-funded project will reach 33,000 women vegetable growers through a partnership with Mercy Corps.
  • With Heifer International, our Foundation-funded project is providing training to 100,000 women farmers in Nepal.
  • In September 2013, we entered into a global memorandum of understanding with USAID. Through that relationship, the Walmart Foundation has helped to fund projects in Bangladesh and Rwanda, bringing improved agronomic practices to 70,000 women.
  • By leveraging a Gates Foundation project with the World Cocoa Foundation, we’re reaching 50,000 women cocoa farmers in Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.
Women in factories

The Women in Factories program is now underway, with training being provided by Swasti in India, CARE in Bangladesh and World Vision in El Salvador and Honduras.

With the awarding of a Walmart Foundation grant to Business for Social Responsibility in 2013, the program is being expanded to China. The first training is anticipated for early 2014.

In 2014, we’ll make the open-source curriculum developed by CARE available to other retailers and factories.

Women’s retail training

With funding from the Walmart Foundation, the International Youth Foundation (IYF) adapted and translated the curriculum from our successful Brazil School of Retail and conducted pilot training programs in Argentina and Chile. We expect to launch pilot programs in Mexico and South Africa in early 2014.

In e-Commerce, the Walmart Foundation funded Samasource, a leader in microwork, to train 10,000 women in Kenya and Uganda on critical digital and soft skills that will increase their ability to compete in the global economy.

In addition, Walmart Central America concluded a successful collaboration with USAID and CARANA in El Salvador. In December 2013, Walmart China launched its Walmart Retail Talent Vocational Training Course to reach migrant workers.

U.S. career opportunities

The Walmart Foundation has granted more than $62 million to help 229,102 U.S. women from low-income households gain critical skills.

The wide range of programs provide job training and economic support with partners including AARP, Goodwill Industries International, Inc., the American Red Cross and six women’s foundations that collaborate through Pathways for Women’s Prosperity.

Promote diversity and inclusion opportunities among our merchandise and professional services suppliers

Just as we’ve taken steps to attract, retain and develop women and minorities internally, we’re extending this challenge to our primary suppliers. We recently developed an online tool and database to begin tracking gender and diversity representation among merchandise and professional services suppliers working with Walmart and Sam’s Club. By positively influencing how our suppliers view their own diversity, we’re creating a more inclusive workforce and providing better products and services to our customers.

“Ensuring that women have a seat at the table is critical in opening doors and cracking ceilings for women in all organizations and industries. It is no secret that having diversity of thought brings better results to any team or business. Walmart understands this, and NAFE is pleased to find them seeking transparency regarding gender and ethnicity in the suppliers serving on its accounts. We look forward to hearing whether asking the question will drive opportunities for women and minorities inside these large supplier organizations.” – Betty Spence, Ph.D., president, National Association of Female Executives (NAFE)