Walmart axes pharmacists

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.