Consumer
Walmart Bets on Warehouse Robots, Dangles Profit Potential
- Company reiterates this year’s forecast, longer-term targets
- CFO hints at income rise ‘better than what we’ve outlined’
Walmart CFO John Rainey
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Walmart Inc. is betting on greater supply-chain automation and hinting that a recent investment binge might lift profit beyond the retailer’s stated long-term goals.
Within three years, the unit cost of moving goods will fall 20% as warehouse robots play a larger role in speeding goods to customers, Walmart said in a statement Tuesday. While the company reiterated its outlook for this year and the longer term, the opportunity to boost operating income “could be better than what we’ve outlined,” said Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey.