What : Walmart is pitching itself as a sustainable investment to Wall Street

Why it is important: Commentators recently noted that investors are not looking anymore at retailers for their stores or their stocks, but just their brand name. Pitching sustainability is a good way to valorise retailers’ operations (and investments in such a strategy) to make sure the company is valued at the right level by investors.

Walmart is emphasizing its sustainability efforts to investors in Wall Street (zero emission pledge, employee protection, racial equity…). It is positioning itself as a long-term investment with sense, because it appeals to both customers’ and investors’ consciousness.

The move is smart, as it is a way to give a value to the way operations are built, including store operations, at a moment when potential investors are more interested by the name of the store and the possibilities to licence it (Barney’s, Topshop…) rather than the stores themselves and the stock. It is also a step towards “branding” the retailer’s name and make it desirable, with the hope that this desire will trickle down in terms of customers loyalty and willingness to join the retailer’s audience, as well as more direct benefits such as the success of private labels. We will organise on the 4th June 2021 a Crossfunctional workshop dedicated to “Making the department store brand desirable”.

Walmart’s Sustainability Pitch to Wall Street

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