Walmart Shutting Down 100 Stores and Firing Thousands of Employees

Customers at the store Friday morning, though, said they would shift their shopping to other Wal-Marts.

The first Walmart Express opened in summer 2011.

Walmart has announced the closing of 269 stores internationally.

Walmart has 105 stores in Colorado, including 69 Supercenters, five discount centers, 16 Neighborhood Markets and 15 Sam’s Club stores. The company said the closings aim to help it better focus on strengthening supercenters, “optimizing” Neighborhood markets, growing e-commerce and expanding store pickup options. It is being reported that around 95 percent of these stores are actually located within an average of 10 miles of another Wal-Mart location. Opening these smaller stores, which at roughly 10,000 to 40,000 square feet were a fraction of the chain’s typical location size, was meant to be part of a growth plan for Walmart. In the same announcement, the company said it is planning to open 300 more stores globally next year.

The retail company will also close 60 locations in Brazil, where it struggles to operate in the slowing economy, and 55 locations spread throughout other Latin American countries.

“Actively managing our portfolio of assets is essential to maintaining a healthy business”, McMillon said in a statement.

Stores that will be closed in Southern California will be Walmarts at 151 E. Fifth St.in Long Beach, effective January 28, and at 4101 Crenshaw Blvd.in Baldwin Hills, effective Sunday.

“We have a strong track record of finding jobs for associates who want to transfer to nearby stores and we will always continue to support and invest in our people”, she said.

The company announced Friday it will close 269 stores across the globe, including 154 in the US.

Mulberry Mayor Gary Baxter said the Walmart Express building will be up for sale after it closes, and he hoped an independent grocer would take it into consideration to re-use the store.

Of the affected stores, 154 of them are in the U.S., with two in southern MI, a store in Hartland and a Sam’s Club in Waterford. “We are supporting those impacted with extra pay and support, and we will take all appropriate steps to ensure they are treated well”.

The retail giant’s mass shuttering of stores marks the biggest move of this kind in at least 20 years.