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With more than 10,500 stores across 24 countries, Walmart continues to be one of the most profitable companies in the world. But despite its stronghold on the retail industry, not all of its locations have been meeting the retailer’s goals.
This week, the Arkansas-based superstore chain announced that it will be closing half a dozen stores across four states, with the first closure slated to take place next week.
On Feb. 17, Walmart will be shutting the doors of its pickup-only location in Lincolnwood, Ill., with the company telling CBS 2 that the “decision was not made lightly and was reached only after a thorough review process.”
“As this is a pickup and delivery only location, we have taken what we learned from this location and made it part of how we operate Pick-up and Delivery from our surrounding stores,” the company said.
Following the Lincolnwood closure, Walmart will be shutting down two more stores in the Chicago area—one in Homewood and another in Plainfield. According to the retailer, the stores will be ceasing operations by March 10, because they were not meeting financial expectations. “There is no single cause for why a store closes and our decision is based on several factors.”
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One shopper told Fox 32 Chicago that the move is a “big hit to the community” because of Walmart’s affordable prices, while others said the store was “always busy.”
Another location closing by March 10 is Walmart’s Silver Spring Drive store in Milwaukee, Wis. and its San Mateo store in Albuquerque, N.M. Walmart spokesperson Lauren Willis told the Albuquerque Journal that the company does not plan on closing any additional stores in Albuquerque.
Both of the impending closures have brought up concerns about food deserts, with Milwaukee Alderman Mark Chambers Jr. writing in a press release that he has “already begun working with the Department of City Development to identify possible replacement options.”
In the South, the superstore will be shuttering its Walmart Neighborhood Market in Pinellas Park, Fla., by March 10. As with the other closures, Walmart said the store was not meeting the company’s financial expectations, with Brian Little, Walmart’s communications director, adding that no other closures are planned in the Tampa Bay area.
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Brianna Ruback
