AMERICAN supermarket giant Walmart is estimated to have retrenched about 3% of its "health and wellness" workforce across the USA, including pharmacists, as part of a restructure of the business.
The company operates around 4,700 stores, almost all of which have a pharmacy, with health and wellness comprising about 11% (or US$332 billion) of its revenue.
"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," a spokesperson said.
"We are aligning our staffing with the demands of the business to consistently serve our customers now and in the future."
A number of reports estimate the layoffs could hit as many as 40% of the company's senior pharmacists, with social media updates indicating pharmacy managers and technicians are also in the firing line.
Walmart is estimated to have about a 5% share of the US pharmacy market, and employs over 10,500 pharmacists.
Currently the company is piloting a "pickup kiosk" which will allow customers to pick up prescriptions after hours.
Walmart said it was working with impacted staff to find open positions within the company.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 18 Jul 19
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 18 Jul 19