Walmart to Lay Off 431 Corporate Staff in New Jersey
Effective June 13, Walmart will lay off 431 corporate employees at its Hoboken, N.J., offices, according to a WARN notice that the retailer recently filed with the State Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The news follows last week’s release of an internal memo that indicated Walmart was eliminating some corporate positions and asking some workers at its smaller corporate sites across the United States to move to its new headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., or to the office in Sunnyvale, Calif. The same memo also indicated that Walmart will close its office in Charlotte, N.C.
“The 481 number referenced in the WARN notice indicates all associates affected by last week’s changes, including those who have been offered relocation and the option [to] remain with the company,” a Walmart representative told NJBIZ.
"We are making these changes to put key capabilities together, encouraging speed and shared understanding," Donna Morris, Walmart's chief people officer, wrote in last week's memo viewed by Reuters. "Through this review process, we have eliminated some roles as we streamline how we work, and will also be exiting our office in Charlotte, North Carolina.”
Walmart hopes to entice some corporate employees to work at its recently opened Bentonville headquarters. The company based the design of its new Home Office on its associates' input to "live better." Amenities of the 350-acre campus include the Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness facility, Little Squiggles Children’s Enrichment Center and a AC Hotel by Marriott. In addition, the headquarters features 7 miles of walking and biking paths, a centrally located food hall and a host of street front retail shops.
Meanwhile, at the store level, Walmart is increasing pay for top-performing market managers. These associates can now make between $420,000 and $620,000 per year with full bonuses.
The retailer’s market managers oversee multiple stores within a region. Their annual base pay is also being increased to $160,000 per year, up from $130,000, and the maximum base pay they can make will stay at $260,000.
Each week, approximately 255 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries. With fiscal year 2024 revenue of $648 billion, the retailer employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named Walmart one of its Retailers of the Century.
