If you’re a Walmart supplier, you’ve likely heard about the 4-5-4 retail calendar — but understanding how it impacts your business planning, forecasting, and reporting is key to keeping operations on track.
The 4-5-4 calendar organizes retail months so that each quarter has the same number of comparable weeks every year. This system helps retailers and suppliers align sales, promotions, and performance tracking evenly — even when the traditional calendar year doesn’t cooperate.
Why Walmart Uses the 4-5-4 Calendar
Walmart’s fiscal calendar aligns with the National Retail Federation (NRF) 4-5-4 model, which divides each quarter into months of four weeks, five weeks, and four weeks.
This structure ensures:
- Comparable reporting periods year over year
- Consistent merchandising and modular resets
- Clearer analysis of weekly, holiday, and seasonal performance
For suppliers, this means Walmart’s fiscal months don’t always match the standard calendar months — a crucial detail when planning production, shipping, and promotional activity.
Example: Walmart’s fiscal year end for 2027 begins on Saturday February 1, 2026 and follows the 4-5-4 pattern until Friday January 30, 2027.
How the 4-5-4 Calendar Affects Walmart Suppliers
Understanding Walmart’s fiscal calendar helps suppliers:
- Plan modular changes and line reviews
Modular planning, resets, and product launches often follow the 4-5-4 rhythm. Knowing Walmart’s “Week 28” or “Week 44” helps you time transitions accurately. - Align production and inventory
Supply chains depend on accurate timing. Use the 4-5-4 calendar to anticipate order spikes — especially around major events like Back-to-School and Holiday Weeks. - Sync reporting and forecasting
When pulling data from Retail Link®, Supplier One, or Scintilla™, Walmart weeks drive all reporting. Comparing “Fiscal Week 12” to “Fiscal Week 12” each year ensures clean, apples-to-apples performance tracking. - Plan for holiday and supplier closings
Knowing your Walmart weeks helps you plan for operational pauses — like July 4th or Christmas closures — and communicate them in advance to avoid fines or missed shipments.
→ Read: Managing Supplier Closings with Confidence
Need help aligning your internal planning with Walmart’s 4‑5‑4 calendar?
Our experts guide Walmart suppliers through modular timing, retail week mapping, and forecast alignment.
Fill out the form below to talk with our experts about how to apply the 4‑5‑4 calendar to your planning process.
The 53-Week Year Explained
Roughly every five to six years, the 4-5-4 calendar includes a 53rd week to realign with the Gregorian calendar. Walmart last added a 53rd week in FYE 2024, and the next will likely occur in FYE 2029.
Suppliers should note that the 53rd week can:
- Shift year-over-year sales comparisons
- Affect bonuses or volume commitments
- Influence modular or forecast timing
Planning for this extra week early helps avoid confusion in forecasting and sales reporting.
Using the Calendar to Stay Aligned Year-Round
To make the most of Walmart’s 4-5-4 calendar, suppliers should:
- Download and integrate the latest Walmart Fiscal Calendar into their internal planning tools.
- Schedule marketing, replenishment, and finance reviews by Walmart week number, not just by date.
- Share this alignment with cross-functional teams to ensure consistent reporting.
Download and integrate the latest Walmart Fiscal Calendar into their internal planning tools.
Download the Walmart Fiscal Calendar — free PDF from 8th & Walton
Need help aligning your Walmart planning and reporting with the 4‑5‑4 calendar?
Our team at 8th & Walton works directly with suppliers to build better planning, replenishment, and reporting systems based on Walmart’s fiscal calendar.
Complete the form below to connect with our experts and make sure your team is fully synchronized with Walmart’s timeline.
Why It Matters
At 8th & Walton, we see how small timing misalignments can ripple into missed forecasts, OTIF penalties, and compliance issues. By understanding Walmart’s fiscal rhythm, suppliers can plan better, forecast smarter, and build stronger retail partnerships.
