Pitches to Walmart put items on shelves

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2021, file photo, shoppers walk along the sidewalk of the Walmart Supercenter in Bentonvile. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2021, file photo, shoppers walk along the sidewalk of the Walmart Supercenter in Bentonvile. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

Walmart Inc. made deals to put 167 products on its shelves at Wednesday's Open Call and is reviewing another 705, the company said Thursday.

More than 900 owners of small and midsize businesses pitched their products in 30-minute meetings with Walmart merchants. Walmart held the eighth annual event virtually for the second time because of the pandemic.

This year's would-be suppliers were from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, the company said.

Though signs of normalcy are returning, many small businesses are still feeling the economic impact of the pandemic, said Laura Phillips, Walmart's senior vice president of customer and business development and U.S. manufacturing for global sourcing.

"The entrepreneurial spirit is the fabric of our company, and we couldn't do business without our amazing supplier community," Phillips said in a news release.

The event held annually since 2014 is part of a commitment Walmart made in 2013 to invest $250 billion in products made, grown or assembled in the U.S. It normally takes place at the retailer's Bentonville headquarters.

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