Small, middle-sized and low-income local suppliers’ development

Due to the fact that one of our main strengths lies on our close relationship with customers and the location of our stores, we have become a development channel for most of the suppliers in the countries where we operate, as a consequence, we are a trigger of sales, income and employment throughout the region.

Derived from our purpose to include more and more small, middle-sized and low-income suppliers, including handmade, industrialized and agricultural products, we have designed in all the countries we are present a training, financing and market access program that allows them to sell their products and have a better understanding of customers, thus strengthening their capability to trade their products in the self-service business and be aware of their competitors. In addition, we foster companies to adopt practices on efficiency and planning, developing their business skills.

As a consequence, we have developed operative platforms to make the sustainable supplier access to make it last long and grow in the Company, as well as increasing their capability to grow in other markets. Based on the supplier nature, such platforms include purchases administration, logistic costs, payment terms and supplier growth, through programs known as A Hand to Grow, in Central America, and Small Producer, You Can Count on Us in Mexico.

In Mexico Adopt a SME is a program that aims at supporting SMEs so they are able to increase their sales and develop their operative, financial and logistics capacities through the Merchandising and Supplier Development areas. The program considers a set of benefits and liabilities for participant suppliers as well as commitments on the side of the areas involved. The goal is to achieve at least a 50% sales growth in 18 months for SMEs at a Company level.

The program Women Owned Business is a global initiative that aims at empowering business women, by providing them more access to markets and tools to make their business grow. The goal in Mexico for 2016 is to double the purchase volume made to business women vs. those recorded in 2011.

On the other hand, development programs for agricultural suppliers, Direct Purchase from the Field, allows small, middle-sized and social suppliers improve their agricultural practices and business, increase their productivity, boost their quality, favor planning, broaden markups and, as a consequence, grow their business. The additional impact of this project on environmental protection and better work conditions in the field is certainly exponential for producers and their regions.

During SMEs presentations included in Expo Walmart in Guatemala and Mexico, associates in the Merchandising areas have the opportunity to know and drive the products of such suppliers.

In addition, the supplier development programs have structures exclusively devoted to work with the Merchandising, Perishable Merchandising, Logistics, Operations and Corporate Affairs areas to accelerate their processes and increase their potential.

Every year suppliers in the region are awarded on account of their outstanding performance under several categories, including SMEs, social corporations and suppliers with exceptional environmental initiatives.

The products that participate in the Small Producer, You Can Count on Us program are marked with a seal and receive communication support on the point of sale. In addition we use the social media to communicate the producer’s stories. Besides, including these products in our home deliver services has allowed our customers to know the product, hence increasing their sales.