BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Vendors in the U.S. are getting the squeeze from Wal-Mart Stores with the giant retailer’s latest policy to impose stocking fees across the board. The charges reflect the squeeze Wal-Mart is feeling after raising wages for store staff. According to a Reuters report, Wal-Mart wants to add a 10% fee to food suppliers on the value of inventory shipped to new stores and to new warehouses, both one-time charges, and 1% to hold inventory in existing warehouses. This new fee system is seen by some observers as a departure for Wal-Mart; they say the company has historically eschewed additional fees in favour of the best price up front.
So far, HARDLINES hasn’t heard of any Canadian vendors being affected by the new policy.
