SHENZHEN – In a milestone moment commemorating three decades of operations in China, Walmart China has unveiled its new employer brand: “Make a Difference That Matters”. The announcement, made during the company's 30th-anniversary celebrations, signals a strategic recalibration of its talent philosophy to navigate the profound shifts reshaping the modern retail landscape.

Built on five core pillars—Purpose-Driven, People-Led, Tech-Powered, Opportunities for Everyone, and Impact at Scale—the new brand framework codifies a systematic commitment to the workforce. It serves as a powerful reaffirmation of founder Sam Walton's enduring belief: “Our people make the difference.” And it also offers every associate clear direction, substantial room for growth, and the assurance that every idea can take root and every opportunity can generate tangible impact—for our customers, members and the communities we serve.

This employer brand refresh is not only a talent commitment for Walmart China's future retail development, but also a testament to three decades if continuous investment in people. From creating job opportunities to cultivating retail talent, from safeguarding associate well-being to empowering every associate's growth—these are the concrete practices of Walmar's philosophy of “People-led and Tech-powered.”

Expanding the Talent Ecosystem from Frontline to Supply Chain

Over the past 30 years in China, Walmart's operational footprint has grown in lockstep with its employment network. Today, the company operates hundreds of stores and over 20 distribution centers across more than 100 cities nationwide, employing tens of thousands of associates.

The rapid acceleration of its omnichannel transformation has further diversified its workforce. In fiscal year 2026, e-commerce sales surpassed 50% of total business, driving the expansion of flexible and gig-economy models such as crowdsourced picking. These innovations have not only created tens of thousands of new jobs but also woven Walmart's business more tightly into the fabric of local communities and the broader supply chain ecosystem.

Beyond job creation, under the value of “Opportunities for everyone,” Walmart is doubling down on talent development—starting at the university level. Since launching its school-enterprise cooperation program in 2015, the company has partnered with over 100 higher education institutions nationwide, offering internships and career guidance to young graduates. Meanwhile, its Management Trainee Program has brought in more than 4,000 trainees since 2015, building a pipeline of versatile management talent for the retail sector.

On the supply-chain front, Walmart continues to collaborate deeply with domestic partners to develop products tailored to Chinese consumers. This collaborative network generates indirect employment opportunities across upstream and downstream sectors, amplifying the company's social value far beyond its own payroll.

Empowering Growth Through Learning and Leadership

In April 2026, Walmart China launched a new AI-powered learning platform designed to deliver a smarter, more personalized, and efficient development experience for associates.

Leadership development is equally prioritized. The company's Leader as Coach culture is reshaping managerial mindsets, while the Leadership Acceleration Program hones strategic vision and future-oriented insight. In 2025 alone, Walmart's leadership training courses reached nearly 10,000 managers nationwide.

At the same time, Walmart is embedding intelligent tools—including an integrated omnichannel digital backbone driven by AI-powered forecasting and full-data insights—into daily operations. This enables associates to delegate repetitive tasks to technology and focus on higher-value work.

A Holistic Support System: From Compensation to Mental Well-being

Walmart's commitment to its people extends to a comprehensive rewards and care system. In terms of total compensation and benefits, investments have focused on strengthening frontline pay competitiveness, enhancing health benefits, and refining leave policies. It embeds the high-performance culture into the compensation structure and introduces diverse innovative incentive models to ensure positive feedback throughout the compensation management process.

Since 2024, the company has spent tens of millions of yuan expanding commercial insurance coverage—including outpatient care, critical illness, accident, and life insurance—to tens of thousands of associates nationwide. According to Mercer benchmarking data, Walmart's health check-up benefits have outpaced the market average over the past three years. The company also offers a 24/7 mental health counseling hotline for associates and their families, ensuring that well-being is supported at every level.

Looking Ahead: Partnering for the Future of Retail

For Walmart China, this new employer brand is not a departure from the past—it is a culmination of three decades of continuous investment in people. From creating jobs and developing talent to protecting well-being, the strategy ensures that every associate is seen, supported, and empowered to generate value in real-world retail environments.

This is the underlying philosophy of “Impact at Scale”: the company's support and empowerment of associates will ultimately, through their practices in store and club services, supply chain collaboration, omnichannel operations, and community connections, translate into better customer and member experiences, warmer community services, and a more resilient local retail ecosystem.

Over the past 30 years, Walmart China has always placed “people” at the core of its development, continuously investing job creation, talent development and associate well-being. “Make a Difference That Matters” is more than a tagline. It is a strategic roadmap for co-creating the future—one where technology enables humanity, opportunity fuels ambition, and every associate plays a vital role in building a more resilient, connected, and better retail ecosystem.