Walmart has fired around 1500 employees in the United States.
Walmart Layoffs: Walmart, the world’s largest supermarket chain, has sacked nearly 1500 workers on its global technology team, in an effort to cut costs amid market volatility. According to Bloomberg, Walmart Inc. is downsizing its corporate staff at company’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, and other offices.
In a memo, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Suresh Kumar and Walmart US Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Furner said the layoffs are “aimed at accelerating decision-making and reducing complexities”. The memo further said that the company is simplifying the structure of its tech team with aim to move faster and adapt more effectively, adding that the job cuts at Walmart US are aimed at creating more efficiency, Bloomberg reported.
In a separate memo, Cedric Clark, executive vice president of store operations at Walmart US, wrote, “Today, store fulfillment is a complicated process with multiple points of contact. This creates friction.” Clark added that reducing friction around digital orders will help customers, and Walmart is making the changes to some roles running these orders.
According to Walmart spokesperson, the staffing changes are not related to tariffs, but reflect the retailing giant’s evolving growth strategies.
Notably, Walmart warned about a possible rise in prices due to higher tariffs, a statement which drew the ire of US President Donald Trump over the weekend.
Walmart in India
In India, Walmart operates via its wholly-owned subsidiary, Wal-Mart India, but does not operate retail stores or supermarkets in the country, unlike the US, where it is based.
Walmart also owns the online e-commerce platform, Flipkart, and digital payments firm, Phone, which the US retail giant acquired as part of its investment in Flipkart. In 2018, Walmart acquired a 77% controlling stake in Flipkart.
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