Wal-Mart Plans to Promote "Made in America"

Written by Jillian Friesen, GEI Associate Econintersect: On January 15th, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) announced some new policies with the aim of luring its suppliers into producing more "Made in America" products. Walmart plans to increase its stock of American-made goods over the next 10 years. $50 billion is budgeted for the increase. Roughly 2/3 of Walmart's inventory is currently either sourced or manufactured in America. Starting on Memorial Day, it plans on hiring 100,000 new discharged veterans, a strategy with the backing of First Lady Michelle Obama. The reasons behind this change in the supply chain are obviously varied. Yet all of them correlate very well and come at a perfect time for Walmart. The news of the new incentive comes in the wake a of wave of patriotism, increased shipping costs and a rising cost of Chinese and foreign labor. There has been much research into the produc...