The Huddle with John Furner

We’ve officially rolled out our new Walmart app and website to 100% of customers! This means everyone is now able to see and purchase all of our items and services in one place - no more toggling between two separate apps. It’s a significant milestone of “Project Glass.” We named it after our late former CEO David Glass, who brought grocery and general merchandise together into the Supercenter. Building a single omnichannel platform has been a large undertaking and required the close partnership of several teams including Technology, Design, Business and Product. Meng Chee is our Chief Product Officer, and he joined John Furner on The Huddle to talk about how we’re continuing to reduce friction for both our customers and associates.

This weekend will mark 20 years since the attacks of September 11th. John Furner was a Store Manager in Jacksonville, NC, and distinctly remembers sharing the news with his team - several of which had family members and loved ones serving in the military. In that same moment, Dan Bartlett was with President George W. Bush. Dan is our EVP of Corporate Affairs and came to Walmart after a career in government as Communications Director and Counselor to the President. Dan joined The Huddle to talk about the events of that day - from first hearing the news to conversations had on Air Force One to standing in the Oval Office as President Bush addressed the nation. Our country was forever changed September 11, 2001, but we have stayed resilient and learned to rely on each other and support one another. Please take a moment to remember the 2,977 men, women and children killed that day and to honor the brave first responders who ran toward danger to save others. Two decades ago, we made a promise never to forget. Let us recommit ourselves to fulfilling it together.

We shared our Q2 business results earlier this week, and what a quarter! Walmart U.S. saw 5.2% comp sales growth, and our CFO Chris Nicholas joined The Huddle with John Furner to talk about the momentum we’re seeing. Chris’ first retail job was in England at 14 years old pricing products, zoning shelves and working in the backroom. He’s since worked retail in nine different countries and knows no matter where you are, being curious helps you best serve customers. It’s up to us to stay curious - always innovating and looking for ways to improve our business. Thank you for a strong quarter, and let’s keep it up!

When John Furner first talked with Mayor Frank Scott, Jr., a few months ago, he shared a quote that really made an impact on him. “Never let nostalgia become the enemy of vision.” Change is constant - and it’s something we’ve all felt in many ways over the last year and a half. In order to continue innovating and moving forward, we have to be ready and willing to unite, grow and transform. Mayor Scott is the first Black mayor elected by popular vote in Little Rock, Arkansas, and he often talks about the importance of transformation to achieve our best selves. Our associates across the U.S. prove this time and time again while protecting one another and serving our customers. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle to hear why John is proud of the work we’ve done and grateful to learn from inspirational leaders like Mayor Scott.

Jenny Dalquist’s grandfather came back to the United States from WWII with a background in metal working and chemistry, and her grandmother couldn’t find a lot of the products she used to cook her favorite Scandinavian dishes. Together they opened a family business in the Minneapolis area back in 1946 called Nordic Ware. After responding to Mr. Sam’s call for American manufacturers, Nordic Ware’s signature Bundt pan landed on our store shelves in 1986. Decades later they are now one of our longtime suppliers selling dozens of items, and John Furner recently toured their factory in person. We made a commitment earlier this year to spend an additional $350 billion on items made, grown or assembled in the U.S., and as we kick off our 8th annual Open Call this week, companies like Nordic Ware are what it’s all about. We welcome entrepreneurs from all over the country to virtually present their products to our merchandise buyers for a chance to get started with Walmart, just like Jenny’s family. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner to hear their story.

Our people make the difference, and Teresa Machuca and Linda Truong are great examples of that. When Linda first started at Store 2066 in Houston, TX, as a pharmacist, she met Teresa. Teresa was a cashier at the time and said she wanted to become a pharmacy technician to help her Hispanic community. Linda supported Teresa and pushed her to achieve her goal, and she did. Teresa then lost her grandmother due to COVID-19 and made it her mission to protect the people she loves – taking time to educate her bilingual and Spanish-speaking customers, friends and family about the importance of vaccinations. We’re grateful Teresa and Linda are part of our Walmart family and glad you get to hear from them in this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner.

It's officially Associates Week! Our associates all across the country and the world have played such an important role the last year and a half, so we are celebrating you. It's been a remarkable effort. Doug McMillon joined The Huddle with John Furner to talk about his most memorable Shareholders moments - including a couple with Mr. Sam, why he believes our ability to adapt will help us thrive in the next generation of retail, and how our associates keep making a difference every day by showing up and stepping up.

Donna Morris joined Walmart as our Chief People Officer in February 2020. During a pandemic and civil unrest, the well-being of our associates was and still is a top priority. Donna and her team jumped right in and got to work - helping establish our COVID-19 leave policy, partnering to change our hiring process and onboard more than 500,000 new associates, supporting our many diversity initiatives like the Racial Equity Center, and the list goes on. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner to hear her experience becoming an American citizen and why she believes becoming more inclusive as a team will make us an even better company.

Casey Carl is our Chief Omni Strategy & Operations Officer, and he’s had a long career in retail. As he puts it, omnichannel is the “term du jour” right now - but what exactly does it mean? It’s about delivering the best customer experience, no matter how they want to shop with us. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner to hear how we’re removing friction for our associates, providing end-to-end service for our customers, and creating a unified strategy.

Today is Earth Day, and we’re committed to doing our part to help reduce U.S. emissions by at least 50% by 2030. One of the ways we can make a difference is by partnering with businesses and companies that share the same goals. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle to hear John Furner talk with New Belgium Brewing CEO Steve Fechheimer about their first certified carbon neutral beer and how they’re working to reduce freight and overall emissions from beer production.