Key Highlights :
1. Walmart is closing four stores in Chicago due to their unprofitability
2. The stores slated to close are the company’s Neighborhood Markets in Grand Boulevard, Lakeview and Little Village as well as its Supercenter in Chatham
3. The soon-to-close stores are located at 8431 S. Stewart Ave., 4720 S. Cottage Grove Ave., 2844 N. Broadway and 2551 W. Cermak Road
4. Walmart said its remaining stores in Chicago, located in the Austin, Pullman, Auburn Gresham and Belmont Cragin neighborhoods, “continue to face the same business difficulties”
5. Mayor Lori Lightfoot slammed Walmart for the closures in a statement Tuesday
6. Ald. Sophia King, 4th, and Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th, whose wards include locations slated to close, both called the closures disappointing in statements Tuesday
7. Residents and elected officials, including Lightfoot, have previously decried grocery store closures on the city’s South and West sides, where three of the four stores slated for closure by Walmart are located
8. In February, Walmart announced the closure of three suburban stores : in Lincolnwood, Plainfield and Homewood. At the time, the company said the decision to close those locations came after a “thorough review process” found they had not been performing as well as hoped
9. Walmart said workers at the Chicago stores slated for closure would be eligible to transfer to other locations.
Neighborhood Markets in Grand Boulevard, Lakeview and Little Village as well as its Supercenter in Chatham are slated to close in the next few months. This is a major loss for the communities that these stores serve and their customers.
The stores have been struggling for years. In 2017, they reported a combined loss of $1.8 million. In addition, the company has been struggling to compete with larger chains. The closures will result in the loss of about 50 jobs.
The company has tried to find a buyer for the stores, but no one has been interested. The stores will close in March.
The closures are a major loss for the communities that these stores serve. The stores have been a major source of shopping for many people in the neighborhoods that they are located in. The loss of these stores will likely result in a loss of jobs as well.
