“Like many companies across the United States, we’ve been on a journey and we’re continuing the journey. And what we’re trying to do is make every customer, every associate happy to shop here. To feel welcome. To feel like they belong,” Furner said in an exclusive interview with “CBS Mornings” Tuesday in response to questions about the DEI policy decision.
The changes, after confirmation by Walmart on Monday The Wall Street Journal previously reported To them, the equity established then represents the culmination of a five-year commitment to the ethnic center. Police killing of George Floydas well as the retailer’s decision to phase out the term DEI. Walmart will no longer give preferential treatment to suppliers based on race or gender diversity and will prevent sellers from listing certain transgender-related or themed items on the website.
Furner said Walmart is undergoing changes to help promote inclusion.
“We’re going to continue to make the best decisions we can to make everyone — our customers, our partners — feel like it’s an environment they can shop in and thrive in,” he said.
Yet Walmart’s decision comes amid growing pressure from conservatives to curb corporate DEI policies, which has grown since the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June 2023 Ending Affirmative Action in College Admissions. Some conservative groups have filed lawsuits against corporations making similar arguments, targeting DEI initiatives in the workplace as well as hiring practices that promote historically disadvantaged groups. give
Other corporations that have recently backed away from DEI policies include: Ford, Lowes, Tractor Supply And Harley Davidson.
Asked if diversity among suppliers is important to Walmart, Furner turned the focus to smaller businesses and smaller suppliers.
“We will continue to do what we can to make sure that smaller suppliers have a path to succeed,” he said, noting that Walmart started in 1962 as a store in Rogers, Arkansas. .
Walmart is also committed to selling American-made goods, which make up about two-thirds of the company’s sales, Ferner said. Our supplies will be successful here in the store.”
How Walmart is Preparing for Trump’s Proposed Tariffs
Furner said Walmart will be ready for President-elect Donald Trump’s new trade policies, as the retailer’s products are mostly made in the United States. Even so, he acknowledged that consumers may see some impact on prices.
On Monday, Trump threatened to impose, doubling down on his campaign promise. Clearing the new tariff on goods imported from Mexico, Canada and China — the top three U.S. suppliers, according to recent Census data — as one of his “several first executive orders.”
Trump said he plans to add a 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports, which he described as part of a crackdown on drugs and immigration. He said the tariffs will remain in place until drugs, especially fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!
“We will adapt to any environment. We have been in a tariff environment for the last seven years,” Ferner said, adding that he has a team of people responsible for managing trade policy changes. It has
Furner said Walmart will do everything it can — between suppliers and the supply chain — to keep prices low and help people save money.
“We’re going to focus on products and values,” Furner said, adding that the company is monitoring and evaluating potential plans for the incoming Trump administration.