Walmart Expands Private Brand Selection as Shoppers Cut Back

Walmart is introducing new hardware and home offerings as it expands its private brands selection.

The new offerings, announced last week, come at a time when consumers are feeling more financial pressure even as they keep spending.

According to a Walmart news release, the new offerings include Mainstay Kids, Walmart’s first new home branch launch in five years, with more than 600 furniture, bedding, bath and decor items.

The retail giant is also updating its hardware department with the debut of Greenworks Pro, which it calls a “professional-grade line of power tools” available solely through Walmart, as well as an expanded lineup of Greenworks 24V POWERALL tools and a larger assortment of its Hyper Tough products.

“At Walmart, we’re always looking for ways to bring innovative products, modern design and strong value to our customers,” said Courtney Carlson, Walmart’s senior vice president of merchandising. “From professional-grade tools to stylish, affordable home décor for families, these launches reflect how we’re continuing to evolve our assortment to better serve the needs of today’s customers.”

As PYMNTS has written, private label products, otherwise known as “store brands,” have grown in popularity in the last few years as consumers prioritize value.

But now, as covered here last week, surviving the economy means more than just spending less money or less often, but about finding more ways to keep up. New data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that personal spending climbed 0.5% in April, while disposable income was effectively flat and the personal savings rate fell to a four-year low of 2.6%.

“The gap between what households are trying and what is actually working is widening as inflation remains elevated and essentials continue to absorb more of the monthly budget,” PYMNTS wrote.

“Real spending on durable goods has now slipped below year-ago levels, while gasoline and housing costs continue to pressure household cash flow. In that environment, simply cutting back is proving less effective for consumers already operating with fewer financial buffers.”

In other Walmart news, PYMNTS wrote last week about the company’s evolution as it and rival Amazon establish themselves as “infrastructure providers for a digitally mediated economy” where retail is just part of a larger platform business.

“In effect, Walmart is becoming more digitally platform-oriented while preserving the physical infrastructure advantages Amazon still struggles to replicate fully,” that report said. “Thousands of stores now function simultaneously as retail locations, fulfillment nodes, pickup centers and advertising touchpoints.”