In February, news broke that multiple Walmart stores across the U.S. would be closing their doors. According to Walmart, the stores on the chopping block are "underperforming."
The retailer said there's no single reason for the closures, only that decisions were made following a "thorough review process," per a statement to Footwear News. However, during a Feb. 21 earnings call, Walmart executives did warn that rising prices could affect shopper behavior and overall business, prompting the big-box retailer to maintain a "cautious outlook" for 2023.
“We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them,” Felicia McCranie, director of global communications at Walmart, previously told Best Life about the closures. “We look forward to serving them at our other stores in the surrounding communities and on walmart.com.”
But loyal shoppers are sad to see these stores go, with many expressing concerns about potential food deserts, as residents rely on Walmart for their weekly groceries. We've compiled a list of all of the Walmart locations closing in the next month—including those that have already been shut down. Read on to find out which locations are the next to go.
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1 | Portland, Oregon (Hayden Meadows Drive)
Sean Pavone / ShutterstockClosing date: March 24
In an email to Best Life, a Walmart source confirmed that the Walmart Supercenter at 1123 N Hayden Meadows Drive in Portland, Oregon, will close to the public on March 24.
According to the source, Walmart made the call following a review process evaluating a range of factors, such as how the store has performed over the years and how it's performing now.
The Supercenter also has a pharmacy, which will close on the same day. The staff will help customers transfer any existing prescriptions to another nearby location.
2 | Portland, Oregon (Eastport Plaza)
Philip Lange / ShutterstockClosing date: March 24
Walmart is closing a second Supercenter in Portland, Oregon, this one located at 4200 SE 82nd Avenue in Eastport Plaza Shopping Mall. This store is just over 12 miles from the Hayden Meadows location.
Much like the Hayden Meadows Walmart, the Eastport Plaza location is considered underperforming, with both the retail store and pharmacy to close permanently on March 24. The Walmart source noted that this is in line with the company's strategic goals and that there's no one reason for the closure.
In total, approximately 580 employees will be out of work once both Portland stores close, according to a document provided to state and local officials, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. However, Walmart said that employees will be given the option to transfer to other locations.
“We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our Hayden Meadows and Eastport Plaza locations," Walmart spokesperson Lauren Willis said in a statement to Best Life. "We look forward to serving them at our other stores in the surrounding communities and on walmart.com.”
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3 | Washington, D.C.
Orhan Cam / ShutterstockClosing date: March 31
The Walmart store at 99 H St. NW in Washington, D.C., is closing for good at the end of the month, a Walmart source confirmed to Best Life. This Walmart was identified an underperforming location after a review process.
The location's pharmacy will officially close on March 17, but the store itself won't be shut down until March 31, per the source. The store's pharmacy staff will help current customers transfer prescriptions to other locations. Currently, Walmart has two other stores in the Washington, D.C. area.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our H Street location," McCranie said in a statement to Best Life. "We look forward to serving them at our other stores in the surrounding communities and on walmart.com."
4 | South Bend, Indiana
Aaron Yoder / ShutterstockClosing date: April 21
Another Walmart store at 3701 Portage Road in South Bend, Indiana, is slated to close on April 21. Walmart confirmed the closure in an email to Best Life, noting that both the pharmacy and the store itself will close on the same day.
Walmart didn't provide a specific reason for the closure, only stating that the decision was made following a review process that considers financial expectations. According to South Bend shoppers, however, the store has been on a decline for some time now.
"We waited a half hour to check out," Gregory Runnels told the South Bend Tribune, with his wife, Ruth Runnels, noting that they are still sad "to see a big store close."
As of March 21, hours at the Portage Road Walmart had already been cut. According to a sign posted on the window, the Walmart is now open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (as opposed to 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., which are the hours listed on Google). Returns and money services were also done away with, the South Bend Tribune reported.
However, the city is stepping in to find an appropriate replacement.
“We are reaching out to Walmart to understand what went into this decision and how this will impact employees,” Caleb Bauer, executive director of community investment for South Bend, told the South Bend Tribune. “The city will be a willing partner in finding and supporting a new retailer for that location.”
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5 | Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
Jacob Boomsma / ShutterstockClosing date: April 21
Walmart shoppers in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, are also losing a Supercenter as of April 21. While Walmart again said this store was underperforming, local officials say the closure at 1200 Shingle Creek Crossing represents a significant loss.
"This is devastating and a major economic loss to our region because Walmart has served the Brooklyn Center community since 2012," Reginald Edwards, city manager for Brooklyn Center told KARE 11. "Our residents have relied on the convenience of the location. While this presents a significant challenge to the city, we are committed to rebounding and building a stronger local economy."
Officials were also concerned that the vacant Walmart store could negatively affect nearby businesses, but Brooklyn Center mayor April Graves confirmed that they are "committed to our work of bringing in new development."
6 | Honolulu, Hawaii
iStockClosing date: April 21
The Walmart at 1032 Fort Street Mall in Honolulu, Hawaii, is on the chopping block as well. It's another that isn't up to par with Walmart's financial expectations, the company said. Both the pharmacy and the store will close on April 21.
Much like the other locations, employees at the Walmart on Oahu are eligible to transfer to other Walmart locations.
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7 | Everett, Washington
Kyle_Graff / ShutterstockClosing date: April 21
A fourth Walmart is closing on April 21, this time in Everett, Washington. The store is located at 11400 Highway 99, Walmart told Best Life.
The Supercenter is also under the "underperforming" umbrella, but residents say there may be other factors at play. "Blame it on the city council not taking care of homelessness," shopper David Long told The Daily Herald.
Local business owners also shared their opinion on the impending closure, which may be bad for their establishments.
“That’s not a good thing for us,” Niket Thapa, manager of Smoke King, which is located in the same strip mall, told the outlet. “That’s where most of our customers come from."
8 | Homewood, Illinois
iStockClosed: As of March 10
The Chicago area is being hit hard in terms of Walmart closures. In addition to a pickup center that closed in February, the Walmart Supercenter in Homewood, at 17550 S. Halstead Street, also shut down as of March 10.
Customers were initially surprised to hear the news, telling Fox 32 Chicago that the Homewood Walmart is "always busy."
The news even garnered a response from Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld. "The Village was surprised by this news and will work with the property owner to fill the space as soon as possible," he said in a statement, per Fox 32 Chicago.
Employees were given the opportunity to transfer to other Walmart stores, Walmart told CBS Chicago.
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9 | Plainfield, Illinois
Hendrickson Photography / ShutterstockClosed: As of March 10
A second Walmart Supercenter in Illinois also closed as of March 10.
The Plainfield store was located at 12690 S. Route 59—with a Walmart spokesperson telling CBS Chicago that it was another "underperforming" location. As with those working at the Homewood store, employees at the Plainfield Walmart were given the opportunity to transfer to another store.
10 | Pinellas Park, Florida
Harun Ozmen / ShutterstockClosed: As of March 10
Earlier this month, Florida shoppers lost a Walmart Neighborhood Market located at 6900 US Highway 19 N., in Pinellas Park.
Similar to the other closing stores, Walmart told the Tampa Bay Times that the location "did not meet our financial expectations," also shuttering by that March 10 date.
The spokesperson told the outlet that no other closures are on the docket for the Tampa Bay area, and that employees can transfer.
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11 | Albuquerque, New Mexico
ShutterstockClosed: As of March 10
Yet another Walmart Supercenter said goodbye in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a Walmart spokesperson confirmed. The store was located in the southeast region of the city, at 301 San Mateo Boulevard SE.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our Albuquerque location," a spokesperson told KOB. "We look forward to serving them at our other stores in the surrounding communities and on walmart.com."
No additional stores in the Albuquerque area are slated to close, the spokesperson later told KOB, but residents who rely on the San Mateo Walmart expressed concerns about a potential food desert.
"It really takes away the last option for fresh food and grocery stores for a big stretch of East Central and essentially creates the food desert that we have been concerned about for years," Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis told the Albuquerque Journal.
According to a news release from Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, both the city and the state are actively working to secure funding to purchase the Walmart property and "repurpose the site to serve local residents."
“We’re working hard to bring together community leaders, elected officials and Walmart to create a path forward for this property so that it can be a community asset and provide critical access to food and other essentials for the International District,” Keller said in the release. “Investing in a solution that can help fill the void is important and it’s key that it be a community-driven decision on what that ultimately looks like.”
12 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin
ShutterstockClosed: As of March 10
A Walmart Supercenter on West Silver Spring Drive in Milwaukee shuttered as of March 10, too. As is the case in Albuquerque and Chicago, news of the closure caused a stir in the local community.
Shoppers were concerned they wouldn't have a nearby grocery store to rely on after the Walmart in Timmerman Plaza closed, Fox6 News Milwaukee reported. The next closest grocery store is roughly 3.5 miles away, but shopper Tom Lukojo, who lives across the street from the closed Walmart, pointed out that this may create a food desert, as many people in the area don't have cars.
"Actually, it's going to impact the neighborhood," Lukoj0 told Fox6 News. "Most of the people around depend on the Walmart here."
Milwaukee Alderman Mark Chambers Jr. also noted his frustration with the closure. "It's infuriating that such a massive, resource-rich, and wealthy Fortune 100 enterprise like Walmart cannot keep such an important location open," he told the Milwaukee Business Journal. "The move not only negatively impacts shoppers, pharmacy customers and store workers, but I fear it will only add to the food desert issues that we are seeing in that area."
Chambers told the outlet that he is working with the city to find a replacement, also telling Fox6 News that he would like to see another grocery store move into the space. "I know that when that Walmart came in, they pushed out Pick N Save," Chambers said. "I'd be very open to Pick N Save moving back over there."
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13 | Lincolnwood, Illinois
ShutterstockClosed: Feb. 17
A Walmart Pickup location at 6840 N. McCormick Boulevard in Lincolnwood, Illinois, was one of the first to close. A Walmart spokesperson told CBS Chicago that the location, which is in the Chicago suburbs, would see its final day on Feb. 17.
"This decision was not made lightly and was reached only after a thorough review process," the spokesperson told CBS. "As this is a pickup and delivery only location, we have taken what we learned from this location and made it part of how we operate Pick-up and Delivery from our surrounding stores."
14 | Bentonville, Arkansas
EQRoy / ShutterstockClosed: Feb. 17
Another Walmart Pickup location in Bentonville, Arkansas, closed on Feb. 17, McCranie confirmed to Insider. The location was situated near Walmart's headquarters, operating more like a warehouse facility since 2014. According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the site had space for 19 customers to pick up their orders at the same time, without having to leave their cars.
But that option is no more—and the future of the Walmart Pickup store format remains unclear. The only other Pickup location, in Metairie, Louisiana, shut down in 2022, Insider reported.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our Pickup and Delivery locations," McCranie told Insider. "We look forward to serving them at our other stores in the surrounding communities and on walmart.com."
