Walmart, Kroger Among Top 10 Inclusion Corps

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and The Kroger Co. were named among the top 20 U.S. corporations for inclusion by business organization Omnikal (formerly Diversity Business). Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart was the top food retailer, at No. 2, while Cincinnati-based Kroger came in eighth.

Published since 1999, the Omni50 is an annual ranking of the top 50 corporate buyers of multicultural products and services throughout the United States, selected by more than 2 million women- and minority-owned business owners that are part of the Omnikal online community.

Other grocers to make the cut were Target Corp. (No. 16) and Ahold USA (No. 40). Drug retailers Walgreens and CVS Health came in 24th and 44th, respectively.

CPG companies on the list were Coca-Cola Co. (No. 10), PepsiCo (No. 15), Colgate-Palmolive Co. (No. 17), Johnson & Johnson (No. 28), Nestle (No. 38), MillerCoors (No. 39) and Kellogg Co. (No. 49, tied with Intel).

“Those organizations that buy the most products and services, most consistently, from businesses through their impact sourcing program and that sustain the most mutually beneficial business relationships with their inclusive supplier base, should be recognized not only by the entrepreneurs that represent that supplier base, but also by the general public that embody their customer base,” Omnikal, a division of Southport, Conn.-based Computer Consulting Associates Inc., noted on its website.

“Across the Kroger family of companies, we are committed to creating business opportunities for women-and-minority-owned businesses,” said Kroger Chief Diversity Officer Reuben Shaffer. “We are especially honored by this recognition because it is directly selected by diversity business owners in the U.S.”