APRIL 4, 2023 — 597 LAYOFFS AT BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA
The company has announced that there will be 597 layoffs at its Lehigh Valley distribution center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 201 employees will be laid off in Pedricktown, New Jersey, and 1,050 layoffs in Forth Worth.
Approximately 2,300+ layoffs are scheduled for June 2, 2023.
“We recently adjusted staffing levels at our fulfillment centers in select markets to better prepare for the future needs of customers. This decision was not made lightly, and we’re working closely with affected associates to help them understand what career options may be available at other Walmart locations. The facility is not closing.
Customer expectations are changing, and we are moving quickly to meet and exceed their needs. As demand grows, we are maximizing our network of stores and fulfillment centers, to deliver items for online customers, when and how they want them.”
Danger ahead — Walmart has 42 regional distribution centers and last year announced plans to update all of them with automation technology “to transform our supply chain and make warehouse work easier for our associates.”
MARCH 23, 2023 — DISTRIBUTION CENTER LAYOFFS IN THE HUNDREDS
The company is laying off hundreds of workers based at e-commerce fulfillment centers in Pedricktown, New Jersey, Fort Worth, Texas; Davenport, Florida; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Chino, California.
According to a company statement, “We recently adjusted staffing levels at our [fulfillment centers] in select markets to better prepare for the future needs of customers. This decision was not made lightly, and we’re working closely with affected associates to help them understand what career options may be available at other Walmart locations.”
OCTOBER 8, 2022 — 1,458 LAYOFFS AT ATLANTA, GEORGIA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
The company has announced plans to restructure operations at its Atlanta, Georgia, facility that fulfills orders placed on Walmart.com.
The restructuring will impact 1,458 employees with a scheduled separation date of December 2, 2022.
According to a company spokesperson, "We're converting the fulfillment center on Fulton Parkway to support our growing WFS (Walmart Fulfillment Services) business. As part of the conversion, the facility's infrastructure, operational resources, processes, staffing requirements, and equipment are being adjusted to meet the building’s needs."
AUGUST 4, 2022 — 200 CORPORATE LAYOFFS
The company has announced it is restructuring and eliminating about 200 corporate jobs, including team members in merchandising, global technology, real estate, and last-mile delivery, as it contends with rising costs, bloated inventories, and weakening demand for general merchandise.
According to a company spokesperson, “We’re updating our structure and evolving select roles to provide clarity and better position the company for a strong future. At the same time, we’re further investing in key areas and creating new roles to support our growing number of services for our customers, suppliers, and the business community.”
APRIL 27, 2022 — PERMANENT CLOSURE OF PLAINFIELD, INDIANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER, 1,132 LAYOFFS
The company has announced that it will not reopen the Plainfield, Indiana warehouse facility that was destroyed by fire on March 16, 2022.
The closure will impact 1,132 employees, with separations scheduled by July 15, 2022.
According to a company spokesperson, “Unfortunately, the property damage is too significant to reopen the facility for the foreseeable future.”
DECEMBER 1, 2020 — 1,241 CORPORATE LAYOFFS IN ARKANSAS AND NEW JERSEY
The company has announced a reorganization of its “omnichannel” operations. In addition to previously laying off hundreds of employees, Walmart will lay off 1,241 employees in Bentonville, Arkansas, and Hoboken, New Jersey (Jet.com) commencing on January 31, 2021.
According to a statement issued by company executives, “We are streamlining some roles so we can be more effective and efficient. At the same time, we are creating new roles, particularly in the supply chain, in our stores, and in other facilities which will open up new opportunities."
It appears the goal is to combine and consolidate In-store and e-commerce merchandising operations. "We need to keep leaning into these new ways of working." "We need to continue on the road of creating one merchandising team that takes a unified view of the customer, to have a product team that can get ahead of what our customers are looking for, and to operate more effectively with better data and technology throughout our organization."
NOVEMBER 6, 2019 — PUBLISHED REPORTS INDICATE WALGREENS MAY BE SEEKING TO “GO PRIVATE” IN A LEVERAGED BUY-OUT.
This could be the underlying reason that Walgreens is shedding unprofitable stores and reducing its headcount.
According to Reuters …
“Walgreens has tasked investment bank Evercore Partners with exploring whether a transaction can be put together, the sources said, cautioning that a deal is far from certain.”
A leveraged buyout of Walgreens would likely require the participation of several private equity firms, each writing large checks, at a time when many of them have lost their appetite for teaming together on so-called club deals. Walgreens Chief Executive Stefano Pessina, who is the company’s largest shareholder with a 16% stake, could roll his equity into the deal to help finance the transaction, one of the sources said.
Walgreens has also contemplated divesting some of its assets, such as its 27% stake in drug wholesaler AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC.N), to provide more funding, one of the sources added. The sources asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Walgreens and Evercore declined to comment.”
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 — CLOSING STORE CLINICS
Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens, one of the largest retail pharmacy store chains in the United States, has announced that it will be closing approximately 40% of its in-store clinics and laying off hundreds of employees. The decision appears to be driven by the cost-cutting initiatives of Walgreen’s parent holding company known as Walgreens Boots Alliance.
According to a company spokesman who acknowledged that the company has executed “select reductions” in its Deerfield headquarters and noted, “The additional restructuring is underway in our retail pharmacy international, and pharmaceutical wholesale divisions are also working hard to define our new vision. The company has completed a review of its real estate footprint. Walgreens is shrinking and reorganizing its global digital and IT teams under a new chief information officer. The company is “modifying our corporate support office structure to drive organizational efficiencies and reduce our cost base while promoting investment in truly differentiating capabilities.” Earlier this year, the company announced it would shutter 200 Walgreens stores.
JULY 1, 2019 — WALMART TAKES AIM AT PHARMACISTS, PART-TIME WORKERS
According to published reports, the company could be laying off up to 40% of its senior pharmacists, additionally affecting part-time workers, and restricting new hires. according to posts on LinkedIn and independent message boards.
According to a company spokesperson, “We are on a transformational journey on how we operate our pharmacies and serve our customers, investing in key growth areas to develop our business and associates.” We are aligning our staffing with the demands of the business to consistently serve our customers now and in the future. As we continue to position our business, we are making some adjustments in health and wellness that will impact approximately 3% of all health and wellness employees.”
JUNE 17, 2019 — Original post …
Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart Inc., the large iconic retailer, has announced the layoff of 569 layoffs and the permanent closure of the finance and accounting unit located in the Charlotte, North Carolina office as it outsources its finance and accounting operations to New York City, New York-based Genpact, a global business process outsourcer that originated as a division of General Electric.
A Walmart spokesperson noted, “This was a difficult decision that affects friends and associates we care about deeply. We appreciate their important contributions, and we’re committed to handling every transition over the next seven months smoothly and respectfully. We are maintaining a corporate presence in Charlotte. As our company continues evolving, we’ve said we must strike the right balance between managing the needs of our business, our associates, and our customers.”
In filing a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, a member of the company’s general counsel staff added, “Our customers are changing the way they shop, which requires us to change how we work. To compete in this new era of retail, we must be willing to pull back in some areas to invest in others."
For employees who were watching the wall for any handwriting, the outsourcing should come as no surprise as Genpact issued a press release presaging the plan in November 2018…
“Genpact, a global professional services firm focused on delivering digital transformation, today announced the launch of a new digital innovation hub in Bentonville, Arkansas to expand the company’s services for the retail and consumer goods industries.
Genpact’s investment in Bentonville reflects its commitment to and deep experience in the retail and consumer goods industries, with clients including Walmart. Genpact is co-innovating with Walmart to transform Walmart’s finance and accounting back-office operations located in Bentonville, helping to fuel growth. The digital innovation hub builds on both Walmart’s position as an industry leader, and Genpact’s expertise in advanced digital technologies and domain and process depth in retail and consumer goods.
Retail and consumer goods companies need to continually reinvent themselves to meet ever-changing customer demands,” said Tiger Tyagarajan, president and chief executive officer, of Genpact. ‘We are excited to work with Walmart, a renowned innovator in retail, as the anchor client in our new Bentonville hub. We look forward to partnering together to help the area become a digital transformation talent leader for the industry.’”
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?