Walmart outlines 2017 goals for American job growth and community investment
January 17 2017 - 5:30AM
Business Wire
34,000 jobs, training for over 225,000
associates and grants for innovation in textile manufacturing
Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer with nearly 1.5
million associates in the U.S., today will discuss company plans to
create American jobs and invest in local communities across the
country. The investments in the coming year will support an
estimated 34,000 jobs through continued expansion and improvement
in the company’s store network, as well as e-commerce services,
while providing specialty training for more than 225,000 of the
company’s frontline associates. The company and the Walmart
Foundation, in conjunction with The U.S. Conference of Mayors, are
also announcing grants through the U.S. Manufacturing Innovation
Fund to advance sustainability and innovation in textile
manufacturing.
"Walmart is investing to better serve customers,” said Dan
Bartlett, Walmart executive vice president for corporate affairs.
“With a presence in thousands of communities and a vast supplier
network, we know we play an important role in supporting and
creating American jobs. Our 2017 plans to grow our business – and
our support for innovation in the textile industry – will have a
meaningful impact across the county.”
Walmart is planning $6.8 billion of capital investments in the
U.S. in the coming fiscal year, which includes construction and
remodeling of stores, clubs and distribution centers, as well as
the expansion of new services such as Online Grocery Pickup.
Walmart’s fiscal year begins Feb. 1; the company’s capital plans
were first shared in October. Bartlett will discuss the company’s
investments in job creation and associates -- and announce
Innovation Fund grants to support the U.S. textile sector -- at the
85th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington,
D.C. Details are highlighted below.
American Jobs
- Approximately 10,000 retail jobs
created through the opening of 59 new, expanded and relocated
Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities as well as e-commerce
services.
- An estimated 24,000 construction jobs
supported through the opening of those facilities, plus the
remodeling and improvement of existing U.S. facilities.
Workforce Investment
- By July of this year, Walmart will open
160 new training Academies around the country, bringing the total
number of Academies to 200. More than 225,000 associates will
receive up to six weeks of specialty training and graduate from the
academies in 2017.
- The Walmart Academies are a network of
facilities where frontline hourly supervisors and assistant store
managers receive hands-on training in retail fundamentals,
leadership skills and the specifics of how to run individual store
departments. The training is designed to help associates be
successful in their careers and in meeting the changing needs of
customers.
U.S. Manufacturing Jobs
The company’s investment in American jobs includes a 2013
commitment to purchase an additional $250 billion in American-made,
grown, assembled and sourced products through 2023, estimated to
help create one million jobs.*
Under the initiative, Walmart works with thousands of suppliers
to help them gain access to the retailer’s shelves in stores and
online. In the coming year, the program will continue to provide
job-creating opportunities. Examples include:
- California Innovations, producer
of the Ozark Trail “super cooler.” The Canadian company with U.S.
operations is moving production of the cooler from China to a
factory in Atlanta, Ga., creating 350 jobs.
- Edgewell Personal Care, a maker
of personal hygiene products, which is bringing production from
Canada to Dover, Del., creating 272 jobs.
- Renfro Corporation, which will
create a total of 442 jobs as a result of a deal to produce
athletic socks in Fort Payne, Ala.
Textile Industry Innovation
This year, the Walmart Foundation will provide $3 million in
grants through the U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund to six
leading universities working to advance sustainability and
innovations in textile manufacturing, which has proven to be one of
the most challenging industries to reshore to the U.S. Through the
U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund, Walmart and the Walmart
Foundation have funded $10 million in grants since 2014.
The 2017 Innovation Fund grant recipients will be announced as
part of Bartlett’s remarks to U.S. mayors:
- Washington State University: to
establish a sustainable process to recycle cotton waste by fiber
regeneration using a wet spinning technique.
- North Carolina State University:
to create a universal and sustainable commercial textile dyeing
method that doesn't use salt or alkali; doesn’t produce effluent;
and produces more than 95 percent savings of both energy and
water.
- Clemson University: for
development of sustainable polyester fibers that achieve a high
level of water and oil repellency.
- Oregon State University: to
develop a sustainable, cost-effective dyeing and printing of smart
fabrics process.
- Texas Tech University: to
support research on various aspects of textile manufacturing,
dyeing efficiency and specialty finishes.
- University of Massachusetts
Lowell: to develop magnetic dyeing technology to address the
technical and environmental issues of current dyeing
techniques.
* Based on data from Boston Consulting Group.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world
save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail
stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly
260 million customers and members visit our 11,593 stores under 63
banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries.
With fiscal year 2016 revenue of $482.1 billion, Walmart employs
approximately 2.4 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues
to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and
employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be
found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at
http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/walmart.
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