Baltimore Walmart Is Closing Before Next Week

By GREG HAMBRICK and LIZ TAURASI

Retail giant Walmart is closing 269 stores, including one in Baltimore, according to an announcement from the company.

The Walmart at 2701 Port Covington Drive in Baltimore will close effective Jan. 17, 2016, the announcement said. It is the only Maryland Walmart that is on the list of closures.

There are 154 Walmart locations closing across the nation, and 115 stores outside the country, Walmart reports.

“Closing stores is never an easy decision, but it is necessary to keep the company strong and positioned for the future,” said Doug McMillon, Wal-Mart president and CEO.

In the U.S., the company announced all 102 Walmart Express locations will be closed, as well as 23 Neighborhood Markets, 12 Supercenters, seven stores in Puerto Rico, six discount centers, and four Sam’s Clubs.

The company will assist the 10,000 U.S. employees impacted by the closed stores. The first option will be attempting to relocate the employees to nearby locations.

”It’s important to remember that we’ll open well more than 300 stores around the world next year. So we are committed to growing, but we are being disciplined about it,” McMillon said.

Walmart will open 50 to 60 Supercenters and 85 to 95 Neighborhood Markets in the next year. Sam’s Club plans to open in at least seven new locations.