Walmart to Shutdown 3 Tech Hubs as Part of Relocation Strategy

Walmart Inc. will close three of its technology hubs in the United States and ask workers to relocate to keep their jobs, a Walmart spokesperson said on Monday.

The company would close offices in Austin, Carlsbad and Portland, and move the operation to San Bruno, California, or to the headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, said Robert Munroe, Walmart’s director of global communications.

Almost all employees of the company would be expected to work in the offices two days a week, he said. 

The directive on work in the office was similar to that of many companies in the U.S. like Walt Disney, Uber, and Starbucks that let their employees go back to the office and work for three or four days a week.

The decision to close three hubs was based on its location strategy, and total employment within those three hubs was in the hundreds. According to Munroe, there were over 1.3 million people employed in the United States, and the company would pay for workers who relocated and compensate workers who decided to leave the company.