When you think of Bentonville, Arkansas, it’s impossible not to consider retail. The legendary birthplace of Walmart has a long history, with its history being built by the ruins of Walton 5&10 (formerly in the former Ben Franklin franchise of Bentonville Square, Sam Walton established an empire from there. Although the Walmart home office now occupies a spacious complex just a mile from the original location, the current Walmart Museum, the enthusiasm of small business owners and the “Can-Do” entrepreneurship have been inhabited. In a modest former farmer exchange, Bentonville’s Lean drew inspiration from the past while helping some of the hottest young brands in the toy industry find giants’ shelf space.
To learn more, Toy Book Meet the founders Andy and Heather Wiseman to discuss Lean In’s growing features, refreshing showrooms and prospects for the future.
Toy Book: With Andy’s manufacturing experience and Heather’s retail experience, when can this idea use that expertise to help other companies break into retail?
tilt: It is difficult to determine the exact date when the spark is ignited, but the combination of our experience is invaluable for the brands we represent. Heather operates $5 billion P&L as a Walmart buyer (she bought video games and toys), and Andy holds leadership positions at companies following some of the largest toys in the 21st century, including Juju Pets, Smooshy Mushy, Ido3d, and more. When Heather left her role at Walmart, she believed she could provide strong insights into successfully starting a business with Walmart. Andy’s path is different, but as a senior leader in the industry, he found a lot of sense of accomplishment in dealing with rapid growth and all the challenges that come with it.
TB: How is the difference between tilt and standard representative groups?
plum: We tend to be somewhat exclusive to the lines we manage, rather than everything that comes with it. We have a deeper understanding of the brands we represent, rather than taking the a-gun approach, taking everything and hoping to “persist”. This makes us unique and uniquely successful. Our clients value our strategic priorities and deliver results.
TB: Can you share about the updated showroom experience and the benefits of the companies you want to participate in?
plum: Lean In Merchant Studios is an 8,000-square-foot “future retail museum” with only invitations. Most of our meetings with Walmart and the Sam Club are here rather than in their offices, and we feature thought-provoking conversation starters that aim to highlight key opportunities for our businessman partners. Includes holographic displays, vignettes with Tiktok and other powerful retail channels that break through success, creative retail merchandise sales options and more.
TB: How can we help its customers with the challenges of retail and the opportunities for displaying various shelves?
plum: One thing that never changes is that the changes between Walmart and Sam are unchanged. Our team works with clients in numerous toy categories every day. We found many last-minute opportunities, and we all had to know about the commodity developments in Bentonville.
TB: While Lean In exists at Walmart’s base, how does it help manufacturers find placements among other major retailers around the world?
plum: We have a network of branches that can operate in every retail sector in North America. While we focus on Walmart and Sam, we can help toy companies find the right fit for sales teams almost anywhere. In addition, we have an international sales agent network that opens doors in every major world market.
TB: What are Lean’s biggest success stories for customers?
plum: Over the past two years, we have been extremely proud of our partnership with Brickcraft, which has brought placement not only in the toy sector, but also in the electronic, seasonal, and the very popular Main-Aisle feature display. Our team expands on placing toys in multiple categories, including checklists, Impulse, and even getting into Walmart’s super popular “Fan Store” section. Recently, we walked the retail with a customer who wanted to visit each aisle and just like us, seeing how many aisles there are in the stores we penetrated is eye-opening.
TB: At this point, you also turned down the #UPSIDERDOWNCHALLENGE games of Sky Castle Toys, Magna-Tiles, Wild Republic, Iscream and Hape. Now you are working with small businesses and other small businesses that maintain manufacturing infrastructure in India and other emerging markets. What advice would you give to companies looking to enter a competitive retail space?
plum: Many times, when we talk to prospects, we get asked, “When is the best time to start?” Since we do business with toys outside the toy department, and because Walmart and Sam’s Club have many promotional windows, we have a consistent answer: Now!
Versions of this feature were originally published in the 2025 Big Toy Book. Click here to read the full question! Want to receive a printed toy book? Click here to get the subscription options!
