Walmart Shutting Down Health Clinics in 5 States

Published: 30 April 2024 at 17:53

Business

Walmart will close all 51 doctor-staffed health clinics in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas as part of its decision to shut down the Walmart Health initiative. The company cited financial challenges and a lack of sustainable business model for the closure. Patients with appointments will still be seen, and efforts will be made to redirect them to other high-quality providers. This move marks a reversal of Walmart's previous plan to expand to 70 clinics by the end of the year. Other nontraditional providers like Walgreens and Amazon have also faced difficulties in offering healthcare services.

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Walgreens Reports Nearly $6 Billion Loss Due to VillageMD Clinic Business

Walgreens reported a loss of nearly $6 billion in its second quarter, attributed to a drop in the value of the VillageMD clinic business it controls. The drugstore chain recorded a $5.8 billion impairment charge for VillageMD and is closing around 160 clinics. VillageMD runs 680 locations specializing in value-based care. Walgreens, aiming to expand care services, originally planned to open 500 to 700 primary care clinics but has shifted focus under new CEO Tim Wentworth to cut costs. Despite the losses, Walgreens reported adjusted earnings of $1.20 per share and narrowed its forecast for fiscal 2024 to $3.20-$3.35 per share.

Walgreens (Wikipedia)

Walgreens is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States, behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, and photo services. It was founded in Chicago in 1901, and is headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. On December 31, 2014, Walgreens and Switzerland-based Alliance Boots merged to form a new holding company, Walgreens Boots Alliance. Walgreens became a subsidiary of the new company, which retained its Deerfield headquarters and trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol WBA. In 2021 the company was found by a federal jury to have "substantially contributed to" the opioid crisis.

Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley condemns Walgreens for 'racial and economic discrimination' after closing pharmacy in Boston

Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley has criticized Walgreens for racial and economic discrimination after the chain closed a pharmacy in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. Pressley, a member of the progressive 'Squad', accused Walgreens of abandoning low-income communities, particularly those with significant minority populations. She called on the company to reconsider the decision and criticized their lack of community input, notice to customers, and transition resources. Walgreens cited rampant theft in some areas as the reason for store closures nationwide, and the Roxbury closure was protested by locals. Walgreens has been hit hard by retail theft, especially in cities like San Francisco.

Walmart (Wikipedia)

Walmart Inc. ( ; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company was founded by brothers Sam and James "Bud" Walton in nearby Rogers, Arkansas in 1962 and incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law on October 31, 1969. It also owns and operates Sam's Club retail warehouses.As of October 31, 2022, Walmart has 10,586 stores and clubs in 24 countries, operating under 46 different names. The company operates under the name Walmart in the United States and Canada, as Walmart de México y Centroamérica in Mexico and Central America, and as Flipkart Wholesale in India. It has wholly owned operations in Chile and a majority stake in Massmart in South Africa. Since August 2018, Walmart held only a minority stake in Walmart Brasil, which was renamed Grupo Big in August 2019, with 20 percent of the company's shares, and private equity firm Advent International holding 80% ownership of the company. They eventually divested their shareholdings in Grupo Big to French retailer Carrefour, in transaction worth R$7 billion and completed on June 7, 2022.Walmart is the world's largest company by revenue, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in October 2022. In February 2023, Walmart announced that its FY2023 total revenue was $611.3 billion. Walmart is also the largest private employer in the world with 2.2 million employees. It is a publicly traded family-owned business, as the company is controlled by the Walton family. Sam Walton's heirs own over 50 percent of Walmart through both their holding company Walton Enterprises and their individual holdings. Walmart was the largest United States grocery retailer in 2019, and 65 percent of Walmart's US$510.329 billion sales came from U.S. operations.Walmart was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. By 1988, it was the most profitable retailer in the U.S., and it had become the largest in terms of revenue by October 1989. The company was originally geographically limited to the South and lower Midwest, but it had stores from coast to coast by the early 1990s. Sam's Club opened in New Jersey in November 1989, and the first California outlet opened in Lancaster, in July 1990. A Walmart in York, Pennsylvania, opened in October 1990, the first main store in the Northeast.Walmart's investments outside the U.S. have seen mixed results. Its operations and subsidiaries in Canada, the United Kingdom (ASDA), Central America, South America, and China are successful, but its ventures failed in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Argentina.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (Wikipedia)

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA), is an American multinational holding company headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, which owns the retail pharmacy chains Walgreens in the US and Boots in the UK, as well as several pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution companies. The company was formed on December 31, 2014, after Walgreens bought the 55% stake in Alliance Boots that it did not already own. The total price of the acquisition was $4.9 billion in cash and 144.3 million common shares with fair value of $10.7 billion. Walgreens had previously purchased 45% of the company for $4.0 billion and 83.4 million common shares in August 2012 with an option to purchase the remaining shares within three years. Walgreens became a subsidiary of the newly created company after the transactions were completed. As of 2022, Walgreens Boots Alliance is ranked #18 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.In fiscal year 2022, the company saw sales of $132.7 billion, up 0.1% from fiscal 2021, and saw net earnings increase to $4.3 billion. The combined business has operations in 9 countries, as of August 31, 2022. Walgreens had formerly operated solely within the United States and its territories, while Alliance Boots operated a more multinational business.The company began trading on the NASDAQ on December 31, 2014, under the symbol WBA. On June 26, 2018, Walgreens Boots Alliance replaced General Electric on the Dow Jones Industrial Index. The company is also a component of the Nasdaq-100 and the S&P 500 indices.

Walmart Canada (Wikipedia)

Walmart Canada is a Canadian retail corporation and the Canadian branch of the U.S.-based multinational retail conglomerate Walmart. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, it was founded on March 17, 1994, with the purchase of the Woolco Canada chain from the F. W. Woolworth Company.Originally consisting of discount stores, many of Walmart Canada's contemporaries and competitors include Giant Tiger, Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, Mark's, Sport Chek, GameStop, Dollarama, Winners, HomeSense, Rossy, Staples Canada, Michaels, Pet Valu, the Great Canadian Dollar Store, Dollar Tree, and Hart Stores. Based on the success of the US format, Walmart Canada has focused on expanding Supercentres from new or converted locations, offering groceries which puts them in the same market as supermarket chains such as Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, Atlantic Superstore, Your Independent Grocer, No Frills, Metro, Sobeys, Foodland, Thrifty Foods, Safeway, Save-On-Foods, Country Grocer, Fairway Markets, Quality Foods, Co-op and others. Walmart is the second largest retailer in Canada by revenue.As of October 31, 2022, Walmart Canada has 403 stores operating, including 344 supercentres and 59 discount stores in almost every province and territory except for Nunavut. Walmart Canada's principal developer and landlord is SmartCentres; other significant landlords include Riocan and First Capital Realty.It is a participant in the voluntary Scanner Price Accuracy Code managed by the Retail Council of Canada.

Walmart Stores Removing Self-Checkout Machines Due to Increase in Shoplifting

Walmart stores in St. Louis, Missouri and Cleveland, Ohio are removing self-checkout machines and reverting to traditional check-out lines to improve the in-store shopping experience. This move comes as a response to the rise in shoplifting at self-checkout lines, where customers have been stealing goods without scanning them. Other retailers like Target and Dollar General are also scaling back self-checkout options due to losses from stolen goods. Customers have mixed reactions to the change, with some preferring human interaction and others admitting to using self-checkout machines for theft.

History of Walmart (Wikipedia)

The history of Walmart, an American discount department store chain, began in 1950 when businessman Sam Walton purchased a store from Luther E. Harrison in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and opened Walton's 5 & 10. The Walmart chain proper was founded in 1962 with a single store in Rogers, expanding inside Oklahoma by 1968 and throughout the rest of the Southern United States by the 1980s, ultimately operating a store in every state of the United States, plus its first stores in Canada, by 1995. The expansion was largely fueled by new store construction, although the chains Mohr-Value and Kuhn's Big K were also acquired.

List of Walmart brands (Wikipedia)

Walmart, Inc., like many large retail and grocery chain stores, uses a brand strategy that offers private brands (private label, store brand) and generic brand merchandise.

Walmarting (Wikipedia)

Walmarting or Walmartization is a neologism referring to U.S. discount department store Walmart with three meanings. The first use is similar to the concept of globalization and is used pejoratively by critics and neutrally by businesses seeking to emulate Walmart's success. The second, pejorative, use refers to the homogenization of the retail sector because of those practices. The third, neutral, use refers to the act of actually shopping at Walmart.

Walmart removing self-checkout machines due to theft concerns

Walmart is removing self-checkout machines from some of its stores in Missouri and Ohio, replacing them with staffed checkout lanes, citing theft concerns. Retailers, including Target and Dollar General, are also taking similar actions to combat theft at self-checkout machines, such as implementing new scanners and traditional checkout lanes. Some stores are locking up items like underwear and socks to prevent theft. Customers have expressed mixed reactions to the removal of self-checkout machines, with concerns about longer waiting times and in-store safety.

Walmart (disambiguation) (Wikipedia)

Walmart Inc. is an American multinational retail corporation.Wal-Mart or Walmart may also refer to:Wal-Mart (fossil) or Camelops, a prehistoric camel bone found at the construction site of a Wal-Mart store in Mesa, ArizonaWalmart (golf tournament), a golf tournament on the Champions Tour for which Walmart was the title sponsor from 2004 to 2009Walmart (neologism) or Walmarting"Walmart" (song), a song by Rodney Carrington

Walmart Labs (Wikipedia)

Walmart Labs (formerly named Kosmix and @WalmartLabs) became part of Walmart Global Tech, the technology and business services organization within Walmart. Venky Harinarayan and Anand Rajaraman founded Kosmix in 2005. In April 2011, Walmart acquired Kosmix and formed @WalmartLabs, a research division, out of it. In 2016, Walmart combined Walmart Labs and its information systems division (ISD) into one team called Walmart Technology. In August 2020, Walmart Technology launched its new identity as Walmart Global Tech as part of a new technology and shared services organization within the world's largest retailer.

Walmart Partners with Fox Robotics to Deploy Autonomous Forklifts in Distribution Centers

Walmart announced a partnership with Fox Robotics to introduce 19 autonomous forklifts in four high-tech distribution centers after a successful 16-month pilot in one center. The deployment aims to enhance operational efficiency and improve safety for associates by automating the unloading process. Walmart's investment in artificial intelligence technology signifies its commitment to staying competitive in the retail industry.

Walmart Watch (Wikipedia)

Walmart Watch, formed in the spring of 2005, was a joint project of the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics, a nonprofit organization studying the impact of large corporations on society, and its advocacy arm, Five Stones. The Walmart Watch group was based in Washington with the claimed goal to challenge Walmart to become a better employer, neighbor, and corporate citizen in order to improve the wages, health benefits, and treatment of workers. One of Walmart Watch's initial attacks against Walmart was setting up an automated phone system that called 10,000 people in Arkansas in efforts to find individuals who would share secrets about the practices of Walmart on their workers. As a result of this automated phone system attack, Walmart Watch created a 24-page report revealing the company's wages and benefits. Walmart Watch's goal was to get the inside scoop on Walmart's practices, in hope that they would be less than respectable, to show the public the "ugly truth" behind Walmart.

Criticism of Walmart (Wikipedia)

The American multinational retail chain Walmart has been criticized by many groups and individuals, such as labor unions and small-town advocates, for its policies and business practices, and their effects. Criticisms include charges of racial and gender discrimination, foreign product sourcing, anti-competitive practices, treatment of product suppliers, environmental practices, the use of public subsidies, and its surveillance of its employees. The company has denied any wrongdoing and said that low prices are the result of efficiency.In 2005, labor unions created new organizations and websites to criticize the company, including Wake Up Walmart (United Food and Commercial Workers) and Walmart Watch (Service Employees International Union). By the end of 2005, Walmart had launched Working Families for Walmart to counter those groups. Efforts to counter criticism include a public relations campaign in this same year, which included several television commercials. The company retained the public relations firm Edelman to interact with the press and respond to negative media reports, and has started working with bloggers by sending them news, suggesting topics for postings, and inviting them to visit Walmart's corporate headquarters. In November 2005, a documentary film critical of Walmart (Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price) was released on DVD.Critics say that Walmart's lower prices draw customers away from smaller Main Street businesses, hurting local small-town communities, and that the company hurts the United States economy by relying excessively on Chinese-produced products – Walmart is the largest importer in the United States in many categories, such as electronics and fast-moving consumer goods. The 2006 book The Walmart Effect by business journalist Charles Fishman contains much of the criticism, though it also enumerates Walmart's positive impacts within society.

CVS and Walgreens to Start Selling Abortion Pill Mifepristone in Select States

CVS and Walgreens will now offer the abortion pill mifepristone in several states following an FDA decision to allow retailers to stock the drug. Walgreens will begin dispensing the pills in a small number of pharmacies in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois, while CVS will start in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and expand to other states as permitted by law. The pharmacies will not dispense the drug in states where abortion is restricted or banned, aiming to expand access beyond mail-order pharmacies and clinics.

Cyberattack on UnitedHealth Impacts Pharmacies Nationwide

A cyberattack suspected to be state-sponsored has left pharmacies across the US unable to process prescriptions, impacting UnitedHealth's 7.7 million customers. Other major pharmacy chains like CVS Health, Walgreens, and Publix are also affected, with disruptions reported by GoodRX and BlueCross BlueShield of Montana. The incident coincided with a cell service outage at AT&T, and the FBI and Homeland Security are investigating. This attack is part of a rising trend, with healthcare cyberattacks more than doubling since 2016, posing risks to patient care and security.

Amazon to Close Drone Delivery Site in California and Launch in Phoenix

Amazon is closing its drone delivery site in Lockeford, California, while launching drone deliveries in the West Valley Phoenix Metro area. The company is working with the FAA and local officials for permits. Although facing setbacks, Amazon aims to expand drone deliveries with next-gen drones. In addition to College Station, Texas, Amazon plans to introduce drone deliveries in more U.S. locations next year. Walmart is also expanding its drone delivery service in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and other states.

Walmart unveils new private food brand Bettergoods with prices ranging from $2 to $15

Walmart introduces Bettergoods, a new private food brand with 300 items including frozen, dairy, snacks, beverages, pasta, soups, coffee, and chocolate priced between $2 and $15, aiming to attract budget-conscious shoppers. The brand offers unique items like specialty salts and seasonings, distinguishing it from national brand offerings. Walmart's CEO highlights the growth of private brand penetration in the US and other countries. Additionally, Target also launches a low-cost brand with items under $1, reflecting a trend where private brands are gaining market share from name brands due to consumers seeking ways to stretch their budgets amid high inflation.

Charles Rudolph Walgreen (Wikipedia)

Charles Rudolph Walgreen (October 9, 1873 – December 11, 1939) was an American businessman and the founder of Walgreens.

Major US Pharmacy Chains to Begin Selling Abortion Pill Mifepristone

After a Texas judge suspended the FDA's approval of mifepristone, CVS and Walgreens will start dispensing the abortion pill in states where abortion is legal. CVS will fill prescriptions in Massachusetts and Rhode Island first, expanding to other states gradually. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the drug's approval. Pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America criticized the move as "shameful." The Biden administration supports expanding access to the medication. The pill, used in medication abortions, has been certified for distribution by the pharmacy chains.