Walmart Moves Further Into Healthcare Market With New Clinic

Walmart is moving further into the primary care and mental health market, according to CNBC. The world's largest retailer is opening a new clinic in Dallas, Georgia called Walmart Health. The company has launched a website for the new clinic, Walmarthealth.com, where patients can make appointments for immunizations, optometry and more. Walmart is testing the concept with the initial clinic in Georgia and may open more in the future, CNBC reported. The initial clinic is set to open next month and will give patients access to low-cost primary care, and is in a separate building next to a Walmart store to give patients privacy.

“Walmart is committed to making healthcare more affordable and accessible for customers in the communities we serve,” a Walmart representative told CNBC. “The new Walmart Health center in our Dallas, Georgia, store will provide low, transparent pricing for key health services for local customers. We look forward to sharing more details when the facility opens next month.”

Total Retail's Take: Since Walmart is already one of the largest pharmacy companies in the United States, and health and wellness accounts for 9 percent of its earnings according to CNBC, it makes sense that the company would want to expand further into the healthcare market by offering primary care. Healthcare clinics will enable Walmart to compete with urgent care facilities, with Walmart having an advantage since millions of people visit its stores each week. It might be appealing to consumers to be able to run errands and get an annual check-up all in the same place. Walmart's primary competitor Amazon.com also moved into the healthcare market when it acquired online pharmacy PillPack last year.