A representative for Walmart has confirmed that the company plans to close its store in Derby this summer with the hopes of relocating the approximately 150 employees who currently work there to nearby stores.
Phillip Keene, Walmart regional director of corporate communications, said the company has decided not to renew the store”™s lease following a review of a number of factors including financial performance as well as the store”™s strategic alignment with the company’s long-term plans.
“Closing stores is never an easy decision, but it is necessary to keep the company strong and positioned for the future,” he said in a statement. “As a company, we continue to be in growth mode and this year we have already opened dozens of stores.”
Keene said the Derby location is scheduled to be closed on July 29.
The move comes as a new Walmart Supercenter is scheduled to be built in Monroe this year, though no direct correlation between the two stores could be verified.
Walmart already operates 3Â stores within 10Â miles of the Derby store, where the company hopes to relocate many of the Derby employees, Keene said.
“We have a strong track record of finding jobs for associates who want to transfer to nearby stores,” he said. “With the extended time frame for this closing, we are hopeful that no associate that wants to continue their career with us via transfer will have any issue doing so. That said, in the event that is not the case, we will be offering eligible full and part time associates severance.”
Keene said more information regarding severance and personnel will be available in the summer.
