Walmart Closing 23 Stores This Year

Walmart has closed or will be closing 23 stores across 12 states and Washington, D.C. in 2023 — here’s the full list.

September 15, 2023, 9:47am

NORTH BERGEN, NJ – AUGUST 23: Exterior view of a Walmart store on August 23, 2020 in North Bergen, New Jersey. Walmart saw its profits jump in latest quarter as e-commerce sales surged during the coronavirus pandemic (Photo by Kena Betancur/VIEWpress via Getty Images)

Walmart plans to close 23 stores total in 2023 across 12 states and Washington, D.C. The company blames poor financial performance, including retail theft, at the locations. The move comes after the retail chain announced the end of its experiment with pickup-and-delivery stores. Walmart also laid off hundreds of employees at five warehouses across the country.

Four of the Walmart stores closing this year are in Chicago. Employees at the stores were eligible to transfer to another store, Walmart said in April, when these closures were first announced. Hiring managers visited the stores to help employees find jobs at other stores in the area. The stores closed on April 16, although the pharmacies were open for up to 30 days after the closures for patients.

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“The simplest explanation is that collectively our Chicago stores have not been profitable since we opened the first one nearly 17 years ago – these stores lose tens of millions of dollars a year, and their annual losses nearly doubled in just the last five years,” the company said in April. “The remaining four Chicago stores continue to face the same business difficulties, but we think this decision gives us the best chance to help keep them open and serving the community.”

Walmart also closed the only two pickup-and-delivery locations in February, reports Insider. One location was near Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas and opened in September 2014. The second location was in Lincolnwood, Illinois. These stores were only open for customers picking up online orders. Walmart still offers pickup at its regular supercenters and other locations nationwide.

In March, Walmart laid off hundreds of workers at e-commerce fulfillment centers, a company spokesperson told Reuters. The layoffs affected workers at facilities in Pedricktown, New Jersey; Fort Worth, Texas; Chino, California; Davenport, Florida; and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The company eliminated evening and weekend shifts at the facilities, the spokesperson said.

In the Pacific Northwest, theft has been an issue for Walmart stores. “Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” McMillon told CNBC. Prices “will be higher and/or stores will close,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillion said if Oregon authorities failed to address rampant shoplifting.

Here is the full list of Walmart stores closing throughout 2023, via Insider.