Three months after announcing it was launching a large-scale review of its store portfolio, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. said Friday it will close 269 locations globally, including 154 in the U.S.
Officials said the company instead will focus on improving its larger Walmart Supercenters, growing its web business and expanding pickup services for customers. Of the 154 U.S. stores, 102 are Walmart Express stores, the company’s smallest banner store, which began as a pilot in 2011. Another four are Sam’s Club warehouse store locations.
None of the Walmart New York banner stores are scheduled to close as part of the announcement. Wal-Mart operates a Walmart banner store in White Plains as well as a Sam’s Club location in Elmsford.
In Connecticut, only a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Hartford will close.
Wal-Mart Stores president and CEO Doug McMillon called the decision a “difficult” one, but said steps would be taken to compensate affected employees.
“Closing stores is never an easy decision, but it is necessary to keep the company strong and positioned for the future,” McMillon said. “We invested considerable time assessing our stores and clubs and don’t take this lightly. We are supporting those impacted with extra pay and support, and we will take all appropriate steps to ensure they are treated well.”
The company said roughly 16,000 employees are impacted by the closures, including 10,000 in the U.S. Officials said they hope to transfer employees to other nearby stores, but said in instances where that is not possible, the company will provide an additional 60 days of pay as well as severance and job training when possible.
Wal-Mart Stores, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, saw $485.7 billion in revenue in the 2015 fiscal year. The company said it plans to open between 50 and 60 Supercenters domestically and 85 to 95 neighborhood stores in fiscal year 2017, as well as between seven and 10 new Sam’s Club locations.
