New Walmart website offers market for women-owned businesses

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has launched an online destination on 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. At launch, Empowering Women Together will offer shoppers more than 200 items from 19 businesses in nine countries.

"Empowering Women Together is a simple concept; it connects shoppers in the United States with quality products made by women-owned businesses around the world," said Andrea Thomas, SVP Walmart. "And in doing that, it helps achieve so much more. Through Walmart's Empowering Women Together, customers can help these suppliers increase their incomes, better their lives and create new jobs for others, and Walmart can help these suppliers gain experience with buying trends, scaling, product development and acumen they need to build their businesses."

Empowering Women Together will be part of Store for Good, a developing Walmart.com program dedicated to connecting consumers with products that do good for other people, for themselves, or for our environment. The initiative will grow and potentially include eco-friendly products and healthier food options.

Empowering Women Together is also dedicated to helping U.S.-based women-owned businesses grow and expand their distribution. Nine of the initial 19 Empowering Women Together businesses are U.S. based.

The inaugural Empowering Women Together collection includes jewelry from Peru, Rwanda, Kenya and the United States; home accessories from Rwanda and Haiti; paper mache from Haiti, apparel and accessories from Rwanda; iPad and laptop cases from Cambodia and Nepal; coffee and tea sets sourced globally and made in America; and specialty foods made in America and Canada. The full collection can be viewed online at http://www.walmart.com/empoweringwomentogether.