Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, is cutting about 1,000 management positions at its Sam’s Club stores, a spokeswoman for the company’s warehouse chain said on Thursday.
Wal-Mart is consolidating about 2,800 salaried-manager positions at some 580 U.S. Sam’s Club stores, spokeswoman Susan Koehler said.
The restructuring, which began in early March and is expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks, was done to improve customer service and gain more flexibility in managing the stores rather than to cut costs, Koehler said.
The company has created three higher-paying positions to replace about 1,800 of those jobs and is also offering affected employees other positions in the company, Koehler said.
“Our goal was all of those impacted associates would find other employment within either Wal Mart or Sam’s Clubs,” Koehler said. “Most of those associates have found other positions.”
About 3 percent of the affected managers have decided to take a severance package, she said.
