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Walker Webcast: Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner Puts the Team First
He oversees 4,700 stores domestically and about one million associates, all contributing to an operation that generates about $1 billion in revenue each day. Yet John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. since 2019 and this week’s guest on the Walker Webcast series, takes inspiration from the words of the late David Glass, who succeeded Sam Walton as head of Walmart Stores Inc. in 1988.
Asked at a team meeting how he went about running a global enterprise of Walmart’s scope and reach, Glass replied, “Well, I have absolutely no idea how to do that. What I do is try to manage one store at a time.”
Similarly, Furner—who grew up in the business—told Walker & Dunlop CEO Willy Walker that the retailing principles he learned at a young age remain top of mind in overseeing Walmart’s U.S. operations. They include respecting individuals, taking care of the team and maintaining a keen interest in your customers and where they’re going.
“Those things haven’t changed,” he said, and they continue serving as guidelines for an organization as it achieves scale.
What has changed, though, is the nature of commerce. “Customers are finding new ways to be served all the time,” Furner said. He quipped that shopper loyalty could be defined as the amount of time it takes that consumer to find a new way.
Walmart has kept itself at the forefront of addressing these changing consumer preferences. For example, this past September it rolled out Walmart+, a membership program that leverages its online presence along with its 4,700 U.S. stores, including 2,700 that offer same-day delivery.
Arguably the biggest driver of change in commerce over the past year has been the COVID-19 pandemic. Furner discussed how Walmart adapted its operations to meet these changes, saying that the company’s response has been the result of many decisions along the way. He emphasized that the most important consideration was taking care of associates.
“You have to put yourself aside and think about what’s best for the person on the front line,” said Furner.
On-demand replays of the Jan. 27 webcast are available by clicking here and through Walker & Dunlop’s Driven by Insight podcast series.
For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Paul Bubny
- ◦Economy
