Walmart CEO warns popularity of weight-loss drug making shoppers buy less food as retailers will have to ‘mitigate’

WALMART’S CEO has said that weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are resulting in customers buying less food.

The appetite-suppressing medications – which are primarily used to treat diabetes and weight loss – have risen in popularity this year.

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Walmart is studying changes in sales patterns, especially concerning appetite-suppressing drugsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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But Walmart also sells the drugs through its pharmacyCredit: AFP – Getty

“We definitely do see a slight change compared to the total population, we do see a slight pullback in overall basket,” John Furner, Walmart’s CEO of its US operation, said in an interview Wednesday, per Yahoo Finance.

“Just less units, slightly less calories.”

Walmart, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, has been studying changes in its sales patterns, according to Yahoo Finance.

The company has the ability to look at purchase changes of people on drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy – and compare those shopping habits to people not taking the medications.

Furner did tell the outlet that it’s too soon in their research process to determine anything definitive about the drugs and other similar medications.

Walmart is one of the companies that sell Ozempic, Wegovy, and similar drugs through its pharmacy.

A report from August suggested that the medications – which fall within the GLP-1 category of drugs – were giving the company a boost in revenue.

“We still expect food, consumables, and health and wellness primarily due to the popularity of some GLP-1 drugs to grow as a percent of total in the back half,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said on an August call.

But Furner is not the only company head to speak out about the drugs.

Steve Cahillane, the CEO of Kellanova – the maker of Pringles and Cheez-Its – said the company is tracking the drugs’ potential impact on what shoppers are buying and their dietary habits.

“Like everything that potentially impacts our business, we’ll look at it, study it and, if necessary, mitigate,” Cahillane said, per Yahoo Finance.

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