Product Sourcing

Five hundred suppliers, 200 merchants and 800 meetings equaled made in U.S.A. magic for Wal-Mart as the retailer looks to accelerate domestic sourcing with a first-ever event dubbed Open Call. Wal-Mart held the event at its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters yesterday to discover domestically sourced products from new and existing suppliers that can help the company meet its goal of buying an additional $250 billion in American-made products in the next 10 years.

Under Armour is fending off accusations by the U.S. speed-skating team that its new high-tech suits are at fault for the skaters’ disappointing performance in Sochi. The suits may have a design flaw that could be slowing down skaters, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing three people familiar with the U.S. team. The U.S. Speed Skating Federation said it would drop the controversial new suit and switch back to previous uniforms for the remainder of the Olympics, saying some athletes "lack confidence" in the uniforms. Both of the suits, new and old, are made by Under Armour.