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Signage outside a Walmart store in Albany, N.Y. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg News)

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Walmart Inc. is eliminating about 200 corporate jobs as it contends with rising costs, bloated inventories and weakening demand for general merchandise.

The cuts include staffers in merchandising and technology, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the matter is private. Walmart also will add an unspecified number of jobs in areas such as e-commerce, health and wellness, ad sales and supply chain, said one of the people.

“We’re updating our structure and evolving select roles to provide clarity and better position the company for a strong future,” the company said in an email. “At the same time, we’re further investing in key areas and creating new roles to support our growing number of services for our customers, suppliers and the business community.”

The retail giant is tightening its belt a week after slashing its annual profit forecast for the second time in less than three months. U.S. consumers are buying less clothing and durable goods as soaring inflation raises the cost of food and basic items. That’s prompting Walmart to cut prices on general merchandise even as grocery sales — which are less profitable for the retailer — continue to soar.

Walmart has a U.S. workforce of almost 1.6 million people, according to its website. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company is the country’s largest private-sector employer. It ranks No. 3 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.

—With assistance from Matthew Boyle.

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