New York City ? Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation’s largest private employer, plans to end automatic profit-sharing contributions for its employees in a revamp of its benefits package that it says will give workers more chance to share in its financial success.

The discounter will replace profit-sharing starting in February with retirement plan contributions of up to 6 percent of pay — as long as workers sign up and contribute an equal amount, Wal-Mart said in a memo it provided The Associated Press late Friday.

The payments added up to 4 percent to the compensation of employees who’d worked more than 13 months for the world’s largest retailer.