BENTONVILLE, AR – Fleshing out previously-announced plans to streamline operating costs, Walmart Stores Inc. has announced plans to trim 200 e-commerce jobs in California. The job cuts are part of an ongoing effort, on the part of the retailer, to streamline, grow the company’s e-commerce presence, and shift the company’s e-commerce staff into more shopper facing roles.
In a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Marc Lore, the company’s new e-commerce chief and President and CEO of Walmart.com, the retailer is “focused on adding the right talent to our team and making sure we're investing in ways that directly improve our customer experience."
According to MarketWatch, the cuts, announced Tuesday January 24, are intended to shift the retailer’s e-commerce staff toward more shopper-facing roles and pare away unnecessary operating costs as the company continues to aggressively purse e-commerce goals. As Walmart.com grows—the site sells millions more product now than it did a year ago—more employees will be required to manage those items.
"We don't need as many senior people, and there is some aspect that is performance related," explained Dan Toporek, Vice President of PR/Corporate Communications at Walmart Global E-Commerce & Technology.
These recent cuts may seem counter-intuitive, as Walmart has invested billions to boost its e-commerce sales, buying Jet.com for $3.3 billion last year, and the company announced goals to add 10,000 retail jobs—and 34,000 jobs overall—over the course of the next year. The cuts, however, are part of an effort to streamline and continue growing their burgeoning e-commerce efforts.
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