Wal-Mart China to cut jobs in management rejig

HONG KONG, April 15 (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc's (WMT.N) China unit will eliminate one management layer of its stores in China to improve efficiency, affecting up to 1,400 people, the company said on Wednesday.

The U.S. retailer, which has 147 outlets in China and employs over 50,000, will offer affected employees the option to move to new stores or take other positions with lower salaries, said Jonathan Dong, a spokesman at Wal-Mart (China) Investment Co Ltd.

"As the market matures ... we have to adjust our productivity and efficiency," Dong told Reuters.

The reduction will affect 140 "super centres" as the layer of assistant managers or deputy mangers is eliminated. That will involve between 840 and 1,400 staff, the company said. (Reporting by Fion Li; Editing by David Holmes)