EXCERPT:
FURNER: "Well, first of all, good morning and thanks for having me, it’s great to be here. I’m in Houston, Texas, in our principal location, so it’s exciting to be in the store this time of year. First, let me say, like many companies all across the United States, we've been on a journey and we continue to be on a journey, and what we’re trying to do is to ensure that every customer, every associate feels welcome here to shop and to feel like they belong. And that term 'belong,' we’ve been talking about belonging now for almost two years, early 2023 we started talking about belonging, and we’re going to continue to make the best decisions we can that makes everyone, our customers, our associates, feel like this is an environment they could shop in and thrive in."
KING: "Is diversity among your suppliers still important to you at Walmart, John?"
FURNER: "Well, starting with our our company back in 1962, we were a small business, a single store that operated out of Rogers, Arkansas, and so we’ll continue to do the things that we can do to ensure that small suppliers have a path to be successful, not only at Walmart, but in their business totally. And, you know, every year we really focus on made in the USA, about two thirds of what we sell is either made, grown or assembled right here in the United States. We have a program every summer called open call where we welcome in small suppliers and we welcome in people that have an idea, that are an entrepreneur, and they want to learn. So we’re going to continue to lean into ensuring that we provide the very best pathways for small businesses, our suppliers, to be successful here in the store. If I had more time, I could take you round the store and show you a few of those examples, but there are a lot of them and there’ll continue to be more."