\CEO John Furner detailed the brand's outlook earlier this year to offer customers new and better experiences.
That also seemingly means shedding some store locations that were not performing to standards.
It's all part of the "Store of the Future" initiative, which will feature expanded selections and brand-new layouts for Walmart fans in the coming years.
Furner stressed in a January blog post that the plan would “reach and serve even more customers" and confirmed that about 650 stores would be renovated, along with an additional 150 fresh locations opened.
There will seemingly be a focus on "supercenters," as smaller stores will be expanded, and the new ones will already be equipped with a significant amount of merchandise and space.
The plan has a completion timeline set for February 2025, with Furner noting that new jobs will be created in the process.
While the future looks bright for the retail giant and its workers, some were likely concerned after a string of four Walmart store closures announced over the last few months.
The shutdown confirmations came not long after it was determined that Walmart closed at least 22 stores in 2023.
OHIO
A store in Columbus, Ohio, was one of the first locations Walmart said would shut down for good this year.
The brand cited "low profitability" and overall underperformance as the reasoning behind the closure in a letter to Mayor Andrew Ginther.
"While our underlying business is strong, this store hasn’t performed as well as we hoped, and we made the decision to not renew the lease,” the letter read.
Walmart also told the city that the decision was "not made lightly."
It closed for good on February 15, but the pharmacy remained open for customers to make the necessary arrangements for prescriptions until March 4.
The 180 employees at the location were also not out of their jobs and instead given the option to transfer to thousands of other store locations until a deadline of May 3.
After that, they'll be given a severance if they do not transfer.
Columbus has at least 10 other Walmart stores still open for shoppers.
CALIFORNIA
Ahead of the Ohio closure, at least two Walmart stores were closed across California for similar reasons.
The first was in San Diego, and the second was in El Cajon.
Both shut down on February 9, per Business Insider.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our San Diego and El Cajon stores," spokesperson Brian Little told the publication.
"We look forward to continuing to serve them at any of our many locations across the area, on Walmart.com, and through delivery to their home or business."
Employees were again given the option to transfer to one of Walmart's over 4,600 locations across the country or receive a severance package.
MARYLAND
The most recent closure was an anchor store inside Towson Place Shopping Center in Towson, Maryland, about eight miles north of downtown Baltimore.
Walmart implemented a two-floor design in the location when it opened 20 years ago in 2004.
The retail giant again cited financial underperformance and noted that the closure was a particularly difficult decision.
“We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our store in Towson,” Alicia Anger, Walmart's global communications director, said in a release.
“We look forward to continuing to serve them at any of seven other locations across the area, on walmart.com, and through delivery to their home or business.”
The Towson location remains open until April 5.
Employees will have until June 14 to transfer.
MORE CLOSURES?
In the release about the Maryland closure, Walmart also said they collected data on thousands of underperforming stores.
It's unclear exactly how many more might be closing soon throughout the year.
Shoppers affected by the closures will have to adjust for their basic grocery needs.
The U.S. Sun has contacted Walmart for further comment.
For more related content, check out The U.S. Sun's coverage on Walmart's plans to implement thousands of EV chargers at its stores by 2030.
The U.S. Sun also has the story on the reusable containers being used at Walmart stores in Canada.
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