Walmart Canada laid off 210 people on Tuesday, with most of the people let go located at the company’s head office in Mississauga, Ontario.
Management and non-management positions were affected by the job cuts.
Walmart Canada says the positions that were eliminated were at the company’s corporate head office and its regional and district operations.
In an emailed statement, Andrew Pelletier, vice-president of corporate affairs and sustainability, said:
“The changes are designed to create a more efficient organizational structure as the company positions itself competitively for the future.” (Organizational structure refers to a system a company uses to define its hierarchy. Each employee’s position is defined.)
Those being let go will have access to career counseling and Walmart Canada will be offering severance packages.
Andrew Pelletier added:
“It is difficult to say goodbye to colleagues who are affected by this change,”
“We are extremely grateful for their contributions and will ensure they are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
He said that the company’s head office has a total of 1,600 employees and that these job cuts only account for 0.3 percent of the company’s total employee base of 95,000. None of the jobs that were eliminated affected those with in store-level positions.
Walmart has been trying to increase sales at its stores and is facing heavy competitions from online retailers, as well as drug stores and dollar stores.
