BENTONVILLE, Arkansas: Walmart shoppers are bracing for price hikes as the world's largest retailer prepares to pass on the impact of rising tariffs to consumers.

Executives said this week that Walmart will begin raising prices later this month, a move driven by escalating costs stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war.

John David Rainey, Walmart's Chief Financial Officer, warned that U.S. shoppers would see price increases by the end of May and certainly in June. He noted that the retailer, known for its aggressive cost management, would also need to reduce orders as it adjusts to higher costs.

"There are certain items, certain categories of merchandise that we're dependent upon to import from other countries, and the prices of those things are likely going to go up, and that's not good for consumers," Rainey said.

Walmart is particularly vulnerable to tariffs due to its status as the largest importer of container goods in the U.S. Even after the U.S. and China reached a truce that reduced some levies to 30 percent, Rainey said the costs remained too high for the retailer to absorb fully.

CEO Doug McMillon said the company would focus on keeping food prices stable, even as costs for general merchandise, much of which is imported from China, rise. However, McMillon acknowledged that substituting tariff-affected components, like replacing aluminum with fiberglass, could only go so far.

Food items such as bananas, avocados, and coffee, which are imported from countries like Costa Rica and Peru, remain challenging to substitute without incurring significant cost increases.

Despite these pressures, Walmart reported a 4.5 percent increase in same-store sales for the first quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of 3.9 percent. U.S. e-commerce sales jumped 21 percent, marking the first time the retailer's online business achieved a full quarter of profitability.

Still, Walmart declined to provide a profit forecast for the second quarter, citing uncertainty over the tariff situation. The retailer also maintained its annual sales and profit outlook for fiscal 2026, expecting adjusted earnings per share between US$2.50 and $2.60.