Top Women In Store Brands 2022: Simone Parry, Walmart

The focus on health and wellness remains an important topic for many consumers, and providing the products her shoppers need in these categories is the focus for Simone Parry, vice president of Private Brands/Consumables at Walmart. 

The 2022 Top Women In Store Brands honoree in the Supply Chain and Procurement category, Parry is best known for her work in ensuring that Walmart continues to expand its supply base for private branded products. The expansion she has driven has helped the retailer continue to meet its goal of providing everyday low prices to its customers while also boosting product availability across multiple categories.

“Growing together with our current supplier partners, as well as constantly seeking new partnerships where suppliers can work with us together to fulfill our customer proposition and needs has been one of the keys to my success,” she told Store Brands. “Additionally, finding new partners and working closely with our current suppliers who share in our customer vision and joint business plans is also vitally important to our success.”

Colleagues said other important elements to Parry’s success has been her deep understanding of the Walmart customer, key insights and her ability to bring along suppliers and the industry to drive success for all involved. Through her efforts and a focus on core items and innovation, she has helped Walmart’s Spring Valley vitamin line become the number one brand in the vitamin segment.

When developing products for Walmart’s large base of shoppers, Parry said the retailer follows an “end-to-end ideation to shelf process” where the customer is at the core of this development path.

“The process involves various tools, systems and information sources, as well as thoroughly utilizing internal Walmart customer data,” she said.

Parry joined Walmart nine years ago and said she always admired the retailer’s mission of saving people money so they can live better. The company, she said, is focused on the customer and its core culture of respect for the individual, diversity and inclusion, which was a major factor in her choosing to work for Walmart