ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart is closing 269 stores, more than half of them in the U.S. and another big chunk in its challenging Brazilian market.
The stores scheduled for closing in Kansas include:
#4361: 1105 East 15th St., Ellsworth, KS
#4362: 120 West Rosewood St., Rose Hill, KS
#4651: 605 Orchard Drive, Hillsboro, KS
#4360: 705 N High School Ave., Columbus, KS
#4353: 505 Housatonic St., Burlington, KS
#3369: 900 East Ross Ave., Clearwater, KS
and three neighborhood market stores in Wichita
The complete list of stores to close is available here.
The stores being shuttered account for a fraction of the company’s 11,000 stores worldwide and less than 1 percent of its global revenue.
The closures will affect 16,000 workers, 10,000 of them in the U.S.
The announcement comes three months after its CEO Doug McMillon told investors the world’s largest retailer would review its store fleet in amid increasing competition from all fronts, including from online rival Amazon.com.
In the U.S., 154 locations will be closed, most of them small format stores called Walmart Express, which were launched as a test program in 2011. The remaining 115 locations to close are spread over Latin America, mostly in Brazil.
In a media release, Mcmillon reported, “We said in October at our analyst meeting that it’s more important now than ever to review our portfolio and close the stores and clubs that should be closed.
Managing our portfolio is essential to maintaining a healthy business. This allows us to create an even stronger Walmart by winning with our proven store formats and deepening our relationships with customers. Ultimately, this is in the best interest of our company and reflects the priorities of our growth plan. That plan is focused on winning with stores, deepening our digital relationships with customers and enhancing critical capabilities through technology and data, a next generation supply chain and talent.
We conducted a thorough review of our stores and clubs worldwide that took into account a number of factors, including financial performance as well as strategic alignment with long-term plans. In total, the impacted stores represent less than 1% of both global square footage and revenue.
The large majority of U.S. stores closing are Walmart Express stores. While we have learned a lot from this pilot, including a deeper understanding of the everyday needs of our customers, we have decided not to proceed with this offering. We feel we can better serve our customers by focusing on Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets and by investing in e-commerce and services like Pickup.”