Nov 22 (Reuters) - The head of Walmart's ( WMT )

$55-billion health and wellness division, who oversaw the

company's failed push into clinics, is leaving after less than

two years in the role, an internal memo seen by Reuters showed.

Brian Setzer, who has been executive vice president since

February 2023 of the division, which accounts for about 12.4% of

Walmart's ( WMT ) U.S. sales, is departing to pursue an opportunity in

his hometown of Nashville, according to the memo sent on Friday

by John Furner, CEO of Walmart's ( WMT ) U.S. operations.

Setzer will be replaced by Kyle Kinnard, who currently leads

Walmart's ( WMT ) neighborhood markets division in the United States,

Furner added.

Walmart ( WMT ) spokesperson L. Hope Moore said Setzer played a key

role in its health and wellness strategy.

"As we continue to provide access to quality healthcare

services and products, we are excited to have a strong

succession plan in place," Moore added.

Setzer's departure comes six months after Walmart ( WMT ) decided to

close all 51 of its U.S. health clinics and cease its virtual

healthcare operations, citing no path to profitability.

The decision represented a reversal from the retailer's 2023

plan to nearly double the number of health centers across the

U.S. by 2024.

Walmart ( WMT ) is now focusing on expanding its 4,600-store U.S.

pharmacy business and 3,000 vision care centers, aiming to

cross-sell medicines, including GLP-1 drugs, alongside cheap

groceries. In October, it announced it would start delivering

prescription medicines and medication refills along with

groceries and other items as a single order within 30 minutes.

On Tuesday, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based chain raised its

full-year sales and profit forecasts for the third time, as it

sold more essentials and merchandise to a wider cohort of

customers. This boost to its business is helping Walmart ( WMT ) lower

prices and invest in other parts of its business.