Walmart Eliminating Roles on Technology and eCommerce Fulfillment Teams

Walmart plans to cut 1,500 corporate jobs in its technology, eCommerce fulfillment and advertising operations, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday (May 21), citing unnamed sources.

Reached by PYMNTS, a Walmart spokesperson declined to comment on the report.

In an internal memo seen by PYMNTS, addressed to office-based associates and signed by two Walmart executives, the company said it is reshaping some teams in Global Tech, Walmart U.S. and Walmart Connect to “sharpen our focus.”

The memo did not say how many positions will be impacted.

With these changes, Walmart aims to remove layers and complexity, speed up decision-making and help associates innovate, Suresh Kumar, global chief technology officer and chief development officer, and John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., wrote in the memo.

They added that in the Global Tech and Walmart U.S. organizations, they are not only eliminating roles but also adding some new ones “aligned with our business priorities and growth strategy.”

In Global Tech, Walmart aims to create solutions that scale globally rather than building custom solutions for different areas, according to the memo.

In some cases, there may be other opportunities within Walmart for the affected workers, per the memo.

“As we’ve modernized the business, it is always toward the goal of enhancing associate, customer and member experiences,” Kumar and Furner wrote in the memo. “To accelerate our progress delivering the experiences that will define the future of retail, we must sharpen our focus.”

Walmart said May 15 that its first-quarter revenues were up by 2.5%. That growth rate was slower than the 3% to 4% range for the quarter projected by the company during its annual investor day last month, PYMNTS reported Thursday.

Looking ahead, the company sees sales up in the current quarter by 3.5% to 4.5% and maintained its full fiscal year sales guidance at 4%.

“The immediate challenge is, obviously, navigating the impact of tariffs here in the U.S.,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said during the retailer’s quarterly earnings call.

It was also reported that Walmart is gearing up for a shift in consumer behavior as artificial intelligence begins to take a more active role in how people shop.