Walmart Seeking Applicants for 10th Annual Open Call

Walmart has officially opened the application period for its Open Call event. Now in its 10th year, the program allows small business owners and entrepreneurs to apply for the opportunity to pitch their products and possibly have them sold on Walmart or Sam's Club shelves or on Walmart.com.

This year’s application period will run from July 18 to Aug. 18, with the event taking place Oct. 24 and 25. Open Call is the largest sourcing event for Walmart and Sam's Club, and more than 1,100 small and medium businesses participated during the 2022 event. Over the past decade, Open Call has provided more than 9,000 opportunities for small and medium businesses to get their products on Walmart and Sam’s Club shelves.

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“Open Call presents an incredible opportunity for small and medium businesses to grow their businesses. Entrepreneurs who earn a ‘golden ticket’ — signifying a deal for Walmart to sell their products on its shelves or online — reach new customers, enabling them to grow,” wrote Jason Fremstad, SVP of supplier development, sourcing. “Through Open Call, Walmart has helped thousands of small and medium businesses thrive, with many expanding their U.S. manufacturing footprints and creating new manufacturing jobs in the communities they call home.”

For the first time ever, Walmart is taking its Open Call show on the road with its Walmart: Made Local trailer tour. The tour began on July 10 in Frederick, Md., and will make additional stops in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Chicago. Interested small business owners can visit the trailer to record a video to apply for Open Call 2023, and also meet local Walmart suppliers who earned deals at previous Open Calls.

Additionally, the retailer launched its Lead with Local snacks initiative earlier this year, which sees 130 Walmart stores prominently selling locally made snacks.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart operates more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 20 countries. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named it one of its Retailers of the Century.