A Walmart storefront. The company confirmed Tuesday that an unspecified number of employees are being laid off or asked to relocate. Kaarin Vembar/Retail Dive
Nate Delesline III|Source: www.retaildive.com, May 2024
The retailer also said “the majority” of remote workers and those at offices in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto, must relocate — mostly to its Arkansas headquarters.
Walmart on Tuesday confirmed it is laying off hundreds of corporate employees.
In a memo to its U.S. campus associates from Chief People Officer Donna Morris, the company said that changes within some parts of its business “will result in a reduction of several hundred campus roles.”
“While the overall numbers are small in percentage,” Morris said, “we are focused on supporting each of our associates affected by these changes.” Walmart said those affected by layoffs have been informed of the decision and that the company “will work closely with them in the coming days and months to navigate the best path forward.”
The company did not immediately respond to a question from Retail Dive regarding exactly how many people were affected by layoffs or what positions they held. News of the layoffs comes ahead of Walmart’s first-quarter earnings report on Thursday.
Additionally, Morris said “the majority” of associates who work remotely and in offices in Dallas, Atlanta and the company’s Toronto Global Tech office are being asked to relocate.
“In February 2022, we made the decision to bring Home Office associates back into our campus offices,” Morris said. “We believe that being together, in person, makes us better and helps us to collaborate, innovate and move even faster. We also believe it helps strengthen our culture as well as grow and develop our associates.”
Walmart said most people who are being asked to relocate will move to the company’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. Others will move to corporate offices in the New York City or San Francisco metro areas.
The retailer is building a new home office campus with 12 office buildings on 350 acres in Bentonville. Construction began in 2019 and the new facilities are slated to open in phases through 2025, according to the company. Walmart said most corporate employees in Northwest Arkansas will move to the new campus.
