Walmart may apply extra fuel and pickup expenses to certain suppliers

In response to rising fuel and transportation expenses, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) will charge some of its suppliers extra fees beginning next month to transfer merchandise to its warehouses and shops, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

According to a statement from Walmart's chief merchandising officer and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S., the corporation will levy a "collect pickup charge" assessed as a percentage of the cost of things received plus a fuel premium based on the cost of fuel to haul the merchandise.

More than a month ago, Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, cut its full-year profit prediction, blaming rising labor and petroleum expenditures. Specifically, gasoline prices surpassed $160 million higher than expected.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to reveal the memo's contents, which were delivered to Walmart's "Valued Collect Suppliers."

The email sent on Friday read, "This effort is the outcome of Walmart's response to the enormous transformation and growing expenditures in the transportation sector over the last few years."

"The actions outlined... allow us to share cost accountability with our Collect suppliers, helping us to realize our goal to offer reasonable rates every day to our clients," the statement read.

John Furner, the U.S. CEO of Walmart, indicated in June that the business will need to pass on higher fuel and shipping costs "to appropriately price and preserve earnings when appropriate."

In addition, he noted that select suppliers responded favorably to the retailer's efforts.

"The Collect program positions Walmart and partner suppliers to react to the volatility of the existing economic climate," a spokeswoman for Walmart claimed while validating the memo's details.