Walmart announced today it closing 154 stores in the U.S. with additional stores around the world bringing the total to 269 stores. Missouri will see a total of four stores closed while Kansas will lose six. The stores being closed account for a fraction of the company’s 11,000 stores worldwide and less than one per cent of its global revenue.
In a statement, Walmart said that 95 percent of the stores set to be closed in the U.S. are within 10 miles of another company store.
The decision will impact 10,000 employees in the U.S. and comes as Walmart’s has seen lackluster sales and growing dominance of Amazon and other online retailers. The mega company will continue plans announced last year to open 50 to 60 supercenters, 85 to 95 Neighborhood Markets and 7 to 10 Sam’s Clubs in the U.S. during the fiscal year that begins February 1.
Analysts are pointing to the retail juggernaut’s closures as a sign of a weakening U.S. economy and changing purchasing habits.
Stores closing in Missouri and Kansas
MISSOURI
#4269: 224 E Hwy 76, Anderson, MO 1/28/2016
#4270: 508 N Cliffside Dr., Noel, MO 1/28/2016
#4282: 33597 State Hwy 112, Seligman, MO 1/28/2016
#4289: 414 N Elm, Clever, MO 1/28/2016
KANSAS
#3369: 900 East Ross Ave., Clearwater, KS 1/28/2016
#4353: 505 Housatonic St., Burlington, KS 1/28/2016
#4360: 705 N High School Ave., Columbus, KS 1/28/2016
#4361: 1105 East 15th St., Ellsworth, KS 1/28/2016
#4362: 120 West Rosewood St., Rose Hill, KS 1/28/2016
#4651: 605 Orchard Drive, Hillsboro, KS 1/28/2016
–By Dwight Widaman