Over the past few years, retail giant Walmart has been actively closing locations that it deemed "underperforming." In 2022, the big-box retailer shuttered a handful of stores nationwide, but in 2023, closures were more widespread, with Walmart shuttering almost two dozen locations. For a while it felt like closures were slowing down, but they seem to be picking up again this year. Read on for a full list of the Walmart locations closing for good in 2024.
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1
San Diego (2121 Imperial Ave.)
Closed: Feb. 9
One of the first Walmart's to goin 2024 was the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 2121 Imperial Ave. in San Diego, which officially said goodbye on Feb. 9, Best Lifepreviously reported.
The store, which was located in the Logan Heights neighborhood of San Diego, was a big loss for shoppers, who said they were worried about where they would go after the store was gone.
"I think it's great for me, plus the neighborhood. It's real convenient for me," South Park resident Shane Evanstold NBC 7 San Diego before the Walmart closed. "The reason I came out yesterday, I get my ribeye steaks here. I go in there and there's nothing."
Evans also pointed out that Albertsons is the nearest grocery store, but "the prices there are a little outrageous."
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2
El Cajon, California (605 Fletcher Pkwy)
Closed: Feb. 9
Another Walmart in the San Diego area closed to the public on Feb. 9, this one in El Cajon at 605 Fletcher Pkwy. As with the Logan Heights store, customers were surprised and upset to hear the busy store was on the chopping block, while others said they were concerned about the loss of Walmart creating a food desert.
"I hate the fact that they're closing," Art Floto, a regular shopper at the location, told CBS 8 before it closed. "When I heard that, my stomach kind of turned over."
In a statement previously provided toBest Life, the company explained that it decided not to renew its leases at the San Diego-area stores. Walmart said it makes decisions to close stores using several different factors—and as with other shuttered Walmart locations, these stores haven't met performance expectations. This was compounded by the fact that Walmart couldn't meet mutual lease agreements with property managers at each location.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our San Diego and El Cajon stores," Walmart spokespersonBrian Littlesaid in a statement. "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."
Associates at the closing stores wereallowed to transfer to a nearby location, the company said. Walmart also noted that there are still over a dozen stores and warehouse clubs in the San Diego area.
3
Columbus, Ohio (3579 S. High St.)
Closed: Feb. 16
A Walmart location was recently shuttered in the Midwest, as it didn't meet financial expectations, CBS-affiliate 10 WBNS reported. The store, located at 3579 S. High St. in Columbus, Ohio, closed for good on Feb. 16, Little confirmed in a statement to Best Life. The store's pharmacy, however, remained open for a little while longer, closing officially on March 4.
As in California, the 180 employees at the Columbus Walmart are eligible for transfer and are being paid through May 3. Eligible employees who don't want to transfer by that date will be paid a severance.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our store on High Street in Columbus," Little said in the statement. "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."
Little noted there are no additional Walmart closures planned for this region.
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4
West Covina, California (2753 E. Eastland Center Dr.)
Closed: March 29
Another California Walmart closure was announced in February—this time in West Covina, the Los Angeles-based news station KTLA reported. This store, which was located at 2753 E. Eastland Center Dr., closed on March 29.
A Walmart spokesperson told the news outlet that the company went through a "thoughtful review process" before deciding to close the West Covina Walmart.
"We have nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S. and unfortunately some do not meet our financial expectations," they said. "While our underlying business is strong, this store hasn't performed as well as we hoped."
Walmart also confirmed that there were no additional SoCal closures planned for the immediate future, and all 237 employees from the West Covina store would be eligible to transfer to another nearby location.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our store in West Covina," Walmart Communications Director Alicia Anger said in a statement provided to KTLA. "We look forward to continuing to serve them at any of 16 other locations across the area, on walmart.com and through delivery."
5
Towson, Maryland (1238 Putty Hill Ave.)
Closed: April 5
A different Walmart store back on the East Coast closed last month. Located at 1238 Putty Hill Ave. in Towson, Maryland, this location shut down on April 5, The Daily Record reported.
Like many of the other Walmarts that have closed, the Towson Walmart was underperforming, according to the news outlet. As in California, employees will be paid through June 14 and given the option to transfer to another Walmart location or receive a severance.
Anger provided a similar statement to The Daily Record, expressing gratitude for customers "who have given us the privilege of serving them at our store in Towson."
Walmart also said it has no additional closures planned for this region.
6
Granite Bay, California (4080 Douglas Blvd.)
Closed: April 12
California has now lost four Walmart stores so far in 2024. In a statement to Best Life, the company confirmed that a Walmart Neighborhood Market in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay would be closing earlier this month.
The Granite Bay store, located at 4080 Douglas Blvd., shuttered for good on April 12 because it hadn't met financial expectations, according to Anger.
Echoing previous statements about other closing stores, Anger thanked the customers who shopped at the Granite Bay location, adding that the retailer looks 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."
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7
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (7025 W. Main St.)
Closing: May 17
A seventh closure for the mega-company was announced last month. Walmart sent a letter to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development on April 19, notifying officials of plans to close a location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Located at 7025 W. Main St., "the store will close to the public on May 17," the letter stated.
Like the others, this Walmart Neighborhood Market in Milwaukee isn't performing as well as the company had hoped, Kelsey Bohl, director of corporate communications for Walmart media relations, told local ABC-affiliate WISN-TV.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them," Bohl shared.
8
Fremont, California (40580 Albrae St.)
Closing: May 24
Up next on the chopping block is the Walmart in Fremont, California. When it closes on May 24, the store will be the fifth California Walmart store to shutter in the Golden State this year.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our Walmart store at 40580 Albrae St.," a Walmart spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle. "We look forward to continuing to serve them at one of our 10 other Walmart stores in the Bay Area, including a store within three miles from this location, on Walmart.com and through delivery to their home or business."
The Fremont Walmart is closing due to underperformance, but the store has also seen a rise in criminal activity in recent years. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the burglars set a fire inside the store in 2022, and in 2019, a woman was assaulted when a thief tried to steal her purse.
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9
Aurora, Colorado (10400 E Colfax Ave.)
Closing: June 7
Walmart recently confirmed a closure in Aurora, Colorado. The Neighborhood Market at 10400 E. Colfax Ave. is shuttering permanently on June 7,The Denver Postreported.
Walmart provided a similar statement about this closure, noting that there are eight other Walmart stores in the surrounding area. As with other closing stores, the Aurora location didn't meet financial expectations, a spokesperson told The Denver Post.
All employees at the closing locations will be eligible for transfers to other Walmart and Sam's Club locations.
Regarding the most recent closure announcements in Colorado and Fremont, California, Bohl toldBest Life that the decision to shutter these locations was made "after a careful review of their overall performance."
"We consider many factors, including current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores when making these difficult decisions," Bohl said in a statement. "After we decide to move forward, our focus is on our associates and their transition, which is the case here."
Walmart is simultaneously expanding its footprint.
While isolated closures are certainly frustrating for local shoppers, Walmart is actually upping its store footprint on the whole.
As part of ongoing expansion efforts, the big-box retailer is planning to build or convert more than 150 stores over the next five years,Best Lifepreviously reported. The first new store under this initiative is a Neighborhood Markets that just opened in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, last week.
In addition to the Florida location, the former Walmart Supercenter on Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in Atlanta will be reopening Wednesday, May 22 as a Neighborhood Market. According to The Dallas Morning News, four new locations are opening in Texas, too: three in the Dallas area and one near Houston. Groundbreakings for all stores are slated to start this summer.
AsWalmart CEO John Furner said in a Jan. 31 press release, there are 12 stores, in total, opening this year.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.