Walmart Inc.'s text-to-order business Jetblack has attracted interest from potential buyers and business partners as the U.S. retail giant weighs options for the unit, Bloomberg News reported Sept. 27, citing people familiar with the situation.
Sources to the news outlet reportedly said that the offers could involve a partnership, spinoff or sale of the business. However, Walmart's internal deliberations are private and the talks may not lead to any deal, the sources added.
JetBlack, which was established in 2018, is the first venture to come out of Walmart's technology incubator, Store No. 8. Orders made via JetBlack are sourced from either Walmart or Jet.com.
Bloomberg said the service was the brainchild of Walmart's U.S. e-commerce CEO Marc Lore. Since launching, Walmart reportedly saw customers spend an average of $1,500 monthly on JetBlack orders.
The report comes as Walmart restructures its e-commerce business. In July, the retailer combined its store and e-commerce finance team. At the time, CEO Doug McMillon said Nate Faust, who heads Walmart's e-commerce fulfillment, will take on a new role that has yet to be announced.
Most recently, Bloomberg's sources said Faust could get a leadership role at JetBlack. JetBlack is currently led by Jenny Fleiss, co-founder of Rent the Runway Inc.
Faust did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Bloomberg said.
