Walmart is becoming a haven for more emerging, premium brands

Global Retail // May 28, 2026 Walmart is becoming a haven for more emerging, premium brands By Mitchell Parton Walmart has evolved beyond its reputation as a low-cost retailer into one that gives brands that have started online, are new to physical retail, or sit at higher price points the opportunity to scale throughout the U. S.

The company has been working for many years to expand its assortment of emerging brands, including organic and natural products and luxury beauty products. In 2022, it began its Walmart Start accelerator program for emerging beauty brands entering stores for the first time, similar to other programs from retailers such as Sally Beauty, Ulta and Target.

Through such efforts, Walmart today has cemented itself as a hub for more emerging brands, as well as those offering more expensive products geared toward a higher-income shopper — think collagen water or $ 12 lemon-lavender toothpaste.

Founders and other leaders at four different brands Modern Retail spoke with said they like the exposure and reach Walmart can provide. In addition, they said it has gotten better at recruiting digitally native brands or those in new categories relevant to higher-income shoppers.

Walmart, more generally, is on a mission to expand its assortment to cater to more kinds of shoppers. “We’re expanding choice for our customers and members by improving our first-party assortment, especially in areas of trend and fashion,” Walmart president and CEO John Furner said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call this month.

In beauty, 75% of Walmart’s growth in the category this quarter came from brands new to Walmart, such as the skin-care brand La Roche-Posay. Walmart is also broadening its digital assortment through its third-party marketplace, which saw almost 50% sales growth in the first quarter.

And just on Wednesday, Walmart announced a new assortment of brands in its hardware and home categories, such as Greenworks and Hyper Tough power tools — including some exclusive, professional-grade products — and the Mainstays Kids line of kids’ home decor aimed at being stylish and affordable.

Hyper Tough and Mainstays are Walmart private-label brands; Mainstays is its first new home brand launch in five years, with 600 new items. “We’re providing an assortment that appeals to customers of all income levels,” Furner said.

He and other Walmart executives have said as recently as this year that it has gained share among households making more than $100,000, while continuing to also cater to low-income shoppers struggling to afford food and other goods.

From the search bar to the shelves Some of the brands that have recently launched at Walmart got their start online, signaling Walmart’s interest in digitally-native brands as it expands its e-commerce presence. Beard oil brand Viking Revolution launched seven SKUs in 900 Walmart stores in January.

Co-founder Victor Mendoza said he hopes to soon expand to 2,000-3,000 stores. “I think they’re much more attuned to the trends that are coming,” Mendoza said, comparing to how he remembers the Walmart of around 10 years ago. “They’re much quicker to react to putting products in there that people are looking for.”

Walmart was especially attracted to Viking Revolution as it was a top seller on Amazon, Mendoza said. Currently, Amazon represents about 95% of Viking Revolution’s sales. The brand has also had success on TikTok, with its videos gathering about 500 million views, according to Mendoza.

“Even if Amazon is a great channel for us — and it’s been the basis of our growth — the reality is that, as we move forward to really become a global brand and a household name, which is what we want to be eventually, we definitely need to crack the retail code,” Mendoza said.

He noted that Walmart fits well with its core demographic of low- to middle-income men who want an uncomplicated, affordable beard routine. “Walmart is the best place for people to actually see the product.” He said Walmart has tended to his brand’s needs by giving it prominent shelf space for an entire regimen of eight products.

“They’ve been putting emerging brands in a higher place, which sounds like a small thing, but the reality is, in retail, it makes a big difference,” Mendoza said. “You’re more accessible.” The brand has done over $500,000 in sales at Walmart since entering the retailer earlier this year, Mendoza said. Matt Goldbloom is the founder and CEO of Common Shelf.

He currently works with brands to get on the shelves of off-price retailers such as TJX and Ross, but has previously worked with brands on getting into Walmart and Target. He said that, in the past, the kind of brands he worked with — largely digitally native, premium brands — would have avoided Walmart for fear of devaluing their brand.