Walmart invites Illinois entrepreneurs to pitch made-in-USA products
CHICAGO – Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is looking for Illinois entrepreneurs to pitch their made in the USA products to the company’s buyers in a daylong event at Walmart’s global headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas on June 28, 2017.
Registration is open at walmart-jump.com until May 18.
Walmart buyers are looking to make deals of varying sizes, from supplying products to a handful of local stores to supplying hundreds or thousands of stores, Sam’s Club locations and Walmart.com.
Businesses across the country have products featured in Walmart stores and on Walmart.com as a result of presentations of their products. One of these businesses is Illinois-based Bullibone Products, a small business that creates long-lasting nylon dog chews available in-store and on Walmart.com.
“I go into a Walmart store just so I can see our product hanging up there and it just gives you chills,” said LeeBob Willingham, founder of Bullibone Products. “I got an invitation to present to Walmart. A couple months later, I get an email that says, ‘Congratulations! You’re going in 3,880 stores.’ It’s no feeling like I’ve ever had.”
“We are excited to once again invite businesses from all 50 states to meet with Walmart buyers who have one goal in mind: to buy more American products for our stores, clubs and Walmart.com,” said Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart’s vice president of U.S. Manufacturing. “By investing in products that support American jobs, we are able to bring new products to our shelves that our customers want and new jobs to our communities. Increasing domestic manufacturing will help create additional jobs in the U.S., and that’s good for American businesses.”
In January 2013, Walmart committed to American renewal by announcing it intends to help boost job creation and U.S. manufacturing through buying an additional $250 billion in products that support American jobs over 10 years. Based on data from Boston Consulting Group, it’s estimated that 1 million new U.S. jobs will be created through this initiative.
In Illinois Walmart has 196 retail units and more than 54,698 associates, spending $54.1 billion with Illinois suppliers in FYE16, which supported 261,439 supplier jobs.
— From the Illinois Business Journal
