NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. retailer Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Inc said on Thursday it would open 28 new healthcare centers in the United States next year, including its first ones in Missouri and Arizona.
By the end of 2024, the nation's largest retailer by revenue will have more than 75 Walmart Health centers across the United States, it said in a statement.
Located inside Walmart Supercenters, the new Health centers will cover about 5,750 square feet and offer services including primary care, dental care, behavioral health, labs and X-ray, audiology and telehealth. The company operated 32 Walmart Health care centers at the end of 2022 and plans to open 17 more this year.
As American consumers deal with stubborn inflation, spending is shifting away from goods and back into services, such as rent, recreation and healthcare, according to government data and the latest quarterly results from Walmart and several other major U.S.-based retailers.
Around 50% of U.S. consumers reported wellness, in particular, as a top priority in their daily lives, according to a September survey by global consulting firm McKinsey & Co up from 42% in 2020.
"With this growth in 2024, we will nearly double our current footprint, offering accessible, convenient and affordable care in two new states and expanding our presence in Texas," said Dr. David Carmouche, Walmart's senior vice president of Omnichannel Care, in the statement.
Walmart will open the first of the new Health centers in the first quarter of 2024, and end the year with 10 locations in Dallas, eight in Houston, six in Phoenix and four in Kansas City, it said.