3 Tips for a Walmart Year With 53 Weeks

Walmart’s fiscal year occasionally includes 53 weeks instead of the standard 52. The year that ends in January 2025 — Walmart Fiscal Year End 2025 — is such a year. A year with 53 weeks instead of 52 is like an unusual deck of cards . . . and you need to review the rules of the game and prepare yourself for some tricky plays.

How does a 53-week year happen?

A 53-week year typically happens every six years or so and really is dependent on several factors, all related to how the Walmart calendar is built.

The basics of the Walmart Calendar:

• The Walmart year begins February 1.
• The week that contains February 1 is called Week One.
• Walmart weeks begin on Saturdays and end on Fridays.
• The Walmart year ends at the end of January — but not necessarily on January 31.

The set up for the Walmart quarters:

• Walmart has 4-5-4 quarters. That means the first month of a quarter has 4 weeks, the second month in the quarter 5 weeks, and the third month 4 weeks.
• This 4-5-4 pattern is repeated four times during the year, giving every quarter the same configuration.

Already you have figured out that the Walmart Calendar won’t look like other calendars. Most calendars start on January 1. Few calendars start each week on Saturday. No other calendars form a month by combining a few days in late October with November dates. (Because the Walmart Calendar is challenging, 8th & Walton prepares it for you each year so you don’t have to do it yourself. You can download your FREE Walmart Calendar HERE. We’ve got your back!)

As you wind up this year and its 53 weeks, keep these things in mind:

1. You will have one additional week of sales. That’s for this year. Next year you will be back to having 52 weeks of sales.
   What to remember: Expect additional Walmart revenue to show up for your product this year. What may appear to be an extraordinary year may simply be an extra week. Don’t expect the same results next year (with its 52 weeks).
2. Year-to-year comparisons are always somewhat tricky. Holidays fall on different dates, into different week numbers, and sometimes even into different Walmart months. But in a 53-week year, comparisons are still more complex.
   What to remember: Look at last year, this year, next year calendars side by side as you make decisions. Notice where the holidays fall and where the weeks and months begin and end. (8th & Walton’s 3-Year Planner helps you by displaying three years side by side and by quarter. All you have to do is download the calendar HERE. We’ve done the work for you. Like we said before, we’ve got you covered.)
3. When one year has 53 weeks and the previous year has 52 weeks, doing week to week comparisons is not intuitive.
   What to remember: To be sure you are comparing apples to apples, keep in mind that Week 53 in FYE 2025 compares with last year’s Week 1 (FYE 2024), Week 1 in FYE 2026 compares with last year’s Week 2, and so forth.

Year-to-Year Comparison by Week

FYE 2025 Week 52	FYE 2024 Week 52
FYE 2025 Week 53	FYE 2025 Week 1
FYE 2026 Week 1	FYE 2025 Week 2
FYE 2026 Week 2	FYE 2025 Week 3
FYE 2026 Week 52	FYE 2025 Week 53

Download the full chart HERE

Many new suppliers feel great relief by talking with 8th & Walton. Our experts are happy to talk with you and provide a free assessment of your Walmart plans. No need to walk this path alone. Request the FREE assessment by completing the below contact form.

Conclusion: Don’t let the Walmart Calendar confuse or frustrate you. Do yourself a favor by downloading 8th & Walton’s weekly comparison sheet HERE. Don’t lose track of the significance of this 53-week year. Make the most of it!

 

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