Walmart Plans More Layoffs by Month's End: Reports

In its ongoing efforts to cut costs and shore up profits, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will lay off hundreds of employees at its headquarters and in regional offices, with most of the terminations set to occur before the end of the month, according to published reports.

Many of the eliminated jobs will be in the mega-retailer’s human resources departments rather than in stores, with the expectation of management that consultants can take on those roles, The Wall Street Journal reported, noting that nearly 1,000 positions would be eliminated.

A Walmart spokesman told Fortune that “we are always looking for ways to operate more efficiently and effectively,” but declined to confirm the looming job cuts, noting, “While we continually look at our corporate structure, we have not made any announcements.”

Last September the Bentonville, Ark.-based company began eliminating 7,000 accounting and invoicing jobs in its U.S. stores to reassign employees in a bid to improve customer service, while in 2015, Walmart got rid of 450 headquarters jobs to streamline operations.

The company has also revealed plans to spend more on its e-commerce business, as illustrated by its recent acquisition of Jet.com, and less on store openings.