Wal-Mart Launches Online Site To Bolster Its Women’s Initiative

Wal-Mart is serious about its campaign to “Empower Women” through business initiatives.

As part of a five year $20 billion commitment to the cause the retail titan unveiled an online destination through Walmart.com that gives shoppers who want to buy unique and interesting products the opportunity to do so while supporting small women-owned businesses around the world.

More than 200 items, from jewelry and iPad cases to coffee beans and apparel, will be sold on the “Empowering Women Together” section of Walmart.com, the world’s largest retailer said Thursday (March 7) , on the eve of International Women’s Day.

The products come from nine countries including Cambodia, Haiti and the United States and include a $9.88 Women’s Bean Project soup mix and cornbread mix gift set and a $20 dress from the Rwandan women’s company Gahaya Links.

With each purchase, consumers lift and empower the women behind these products to create new jobs and improve both their own lives and the lives of their families and communities. At launch, Empowering Women Together will offer shoppers more than 200 items from 19 businesses in nine countries.

At its core Empowering Women Together aims to connect shoppers in the U.S. with quality products made by women-owned businesses from around the world, said Andrea Thomas, senior vice president, Walmart.

“In doing that, it helps achieve so much more,” Thomas added.“Walmart can also help these suppliers gain experience with buying trends, scaling, product development and acumen they need to build their businesses.”

Roughly half of the 19 featured businesses are global and nine are based in the U.S. In this initiative Wal-Mart also aims to double sourcing from international suppliers run by women.