In a move reflective of shifting business strategies, Walmart, the retail behemoth headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, is set to lay off 155 employees from its Charlotte-based call center. This decision comes amidst a revamping of several Walmart stores in the area and a broader consolidation of its corporate offices. According to a Charlotte Business Journal report, the layoffs are concentrated at the office located at 2118 Water Ridge Parkway near the airport.
Walmart's spokeswoman provided context, stating, "We are eliminating some roles supporting our associate call center in Charlotte to better align our team, with the volume of requests," in a statement to the Charlotte Business Journal. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed on June 20 outlined the company's recent refocusing efforts. It has been reported by Business North Carolina that of the 155 roles being discontinued, 53 are remote positions tied to the Charlotte location.
The affected employees have been encouraged to apply for open roles within the company as Walmart is aiming to smooth their transition, offering a variety of support measures such as access to a career portal and the potential for severance pay, for those who meet eligibility requirements. This is according to what company spokesman Nick DeMoss informed Business North Carolina. Furthermore, the retail giant is not offering any recall or bumping rights, leaving employees to consider alternative opportunities either within or beyond Walmart.
In alignment with these significant personnel changes, Walmart had previously announced the closure of all 51 of its health-care clinics in the U.S. Also, the company had begun consolidating offices requiring relocations to Bentonville as well as outposts in Hoboken, New Jersey, and San Francisco. These layoffs are the latest in a series of cost-cutting moves - which included the slashing of 569 jobs back in 2019 due to the outsourcing of the finance and accounting departments, the Charlotte Observer has reported.
Despite the layoffs, Walmart maintains a significant presence in North Carolina with 214 stores, including 144 supercenters and 22 Sam's Clubs, in addition to six distribution centers. Walmart remains a top employer in the state with over 61,000 associates. The company has reported revenues of $648.1 billion and net income of $15.5 billion for its fiscal year 2024, thereby retaining its status as the largest company in the world by revenue.
