LOS ANGELES – A Southern California Walmart location is set to close to the public next month for good.
According to information provided by a Walmart spokesperson, the retail giant went through a “thoughtful review process” before coming to the decision to shut the West Covina store down.
“We have nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S. and unfortunately some do not meet our financial expectations,” the Walmart spokesperson told KTLA. “While our underlying business is strong, this store hasn’t performed as well as we hoped.”
All 237 employees at the West Covina store are eligible to be transferred to another nearby store; there are 16 stores in the Covina area that employ thousands of people, Walmart says, including a Walmart Super Center four miles from the location set to close.
No additional closures for SoCal are planned for the immediate future, Walmart confirmed. There are currently 309 Walmart stores in the Golden State that employ more than 100,000 people.
In a statement, Walmart Communications Director Alicia Anger expressed gratitude for the local customer base.
“We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our store in West Covina,” Anger said. “We look forward to continuing to serve them at any of 16 other locations across the area, on walmart.com and through delivery.”
The West Covina Walmart – and the pharmacy located within – will officially close on March 29.