Walmart cutting roles, asking office employees to relocate to Bentonville, Sunnyvale hubs

An internal memo from Donna Morris, Walmart’s chief people officer, directed the company to cut roles and move office-based employees from smaller sites including Hoboken, New Jersey, and a North Carolina location to its main hubs in Bentonville, Arkansas, and Sunnyvale, California. The changes are part of a broader consolidation and relocation plan first rolled out in May 2024 and follow earlier return-to-office steps that began in February 2022.

Reporting on the scale of cuts varies. Reuters reported the company planned to cut about 1,500 jobs as part of a restructuring to simplify operations and said teams affected include global technology operations, e-commerce fulfillment in U.S. stores, and Walmart Connect, the advertising business. Other company communications and outlets describe the reductions as “several hundred” campus roles. A WARN filing seen by TalkBusiness lists 381 positions in Sunnyvale and notes layoffs tied to that site would take effect on August 22 following a June 18 filing.

The relocations touch a range of markets. Morris’s memo asked employees in Hoboken and “some smaller offices” to relocate to Bentonville or Sunnyvale. USA TODAY reported Walmart is closing its Charlotte, North Carolina office as part of the consolidation. The May 2024 phase one plan also asked staff in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto to move to Bentonville, Hoboken, or the California location, and called back employees who had been working remotely.

Human resources details vary by group. Walmart has told affected staff they will be offered relocation support or severance, and Fox Business reported employees asked to relocate will have at least a month to notify the company of their plans. USA TODAY outlined an additional personnel change: elimination of the assistant-to-market-manager salaried role across about 200 Walmart academies in more than 40 states, with academy coaches offered other store positions or eligible for severance if they do not accept reassignment. Cedric Clark, executive vice president of Walmart store operations, wrote that the moves are not a reflection on performance and said, "We care about these associates, and we want them to continue their careers with Walmart."

Walmart framed the moves as a bid to concentrate capabilities, speed decision-making, and boost collaboration. Morris wrote in internal communications, "We are making these changes to put key capabilities together, encouraging speed and shared understanding," and in a separate May memo added, "We believe that being together, in person, makes us better and helps us to collaborate, innovate and move even faster."

The mixed reporting on totals underscores uncertainty for affected employees; Walmart did not specify a consolidated company-wide number in at least one memo. For corporate and tech staff weighing relocation, the coming weeks will clarify which roles are being eliminated, which will be reopened elsewhere, and what severance or relocation packages apply. For workers in Sunnyvale, Hoboken and Charlotte, the practical next step is to watch HR notices for deadlines and package details as the company implements the consolidation and the phased restructuring moves forward.