Walmart closing store in Alabama

Walmart will permanently close a location in Huntsville, Ala., before the Christmas holiday, citing underperformance as the reason.

The big-box retailer confirmed the closing to Supermarket News, stating, “While our underlying business is strong, this store hasn’t performed as well as we had hoped.”

The decision to close the store “was not made lightly and was reached only after a careful and thoughtful review process,” Walmart said in an emailed statement to SN.

The store will officially close on Dec. 20, and the 82 associates at the location are eligible for transfer. They will also be paid through March 7, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer said. If workers don’t transfer to another store, those who are eligible will receive severance.

Pharmacy staff will assist customers in transferring prescriptions to another Walmart location.

There are nine other Walmart locations in the Huntsville area, including three near the store.

Alabama is home to 144 Walmart stores, and the company said no additional closures are planned for the region at this time.

Walmart operates over 4,600 stores in the U.S.