Walmart’s Open Call 2025 Applications Now Live
Forty years since Walmart founder Sam Walton’s "Buy American" initiative, the retailer continues to open doors for U.S. products — and the innovations behind them. Walmart has announced that applications for its Open Call 2025 are officially open.
This year’s event, taking place Oct. 7-8, offers U.S. entrepreneurs the chance to pitch Walmart and Sam’s Club merchants for a game-changing opportunity: Getting their shelf-ready product in stores or online, and in front of millions of customers. The deadline to submit applications is July 25.
Since 2014, Open Call has helped thousands of small and medium businesses grow their operations, expand their manufacturing footprint and create jobs in their local communities.
This year, Open Call is expanding its application beyond just products, to search for innovative companies developing breakthrough technologies that enable or enhance U.S. manufacturing.
“America has no shortage of ideas — it's the infrastructure and tools that are often the biggest roadblocks,” said Jason Fremstad, SVP, supplier development, for Walmart sourcing. “We want to find innovations that can help close that gap and unlock new possibilities for U.S. manufacturing.”
Teams are looking for the best of the best of manufacturing innovation in categories like yield insights, shelf-life extension, alternative materials, and advanced manufacturing to reduce complexity, cost or environmental impact to U.S. manufacturing.
Submissions for manufacturing innovation pitches are now open via an online form. A select group of companies will be invited to participate in this year’s Open Call experience alongside product-based applicants.
Open Call is part of Walmart’s broader $350 billion commitment to products made, grown or assembled in the United States.
“This is in our DNA,” Fremstad said. “Supporting American-made products has been part of our story since the beginning, and it will be for decades to come.”
In April, Walmart unveiled its Grow with US, a new program designed to provide U.S. small businesses with the training, mentorship and resources they need to find success with the retail giant.
Each week, approximately 270 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 10,750 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries. With FY2025 revenue of $681 billion, the company employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company among its Retailers of the Century.
