BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — The Walmart located at 1200 Shingle Creek Crossing in Brooklyn Center is permanently closing next month.
A Walmart spokesperson said after a "careful and thoughtful review process" the company made the "difficult decision" to close the location on Friday, April 21.
In a statement, they added that the store didn't perform "as well as we hoped" and didn't meet the company's financial expectations, but employees will be able to transfer to another store.
Five Walmart stores are located within 13 miles of the Brooklyn Center location.
"All associates in the store will be eligible for transfer. We have invested in our associates and we want to keep them in the Walmart family," said Felicia McCranie, Director of Corporate Communications, in an email to KARE 11.
City officials said the Brooklyn Center store has nearly 350 employees.
Currently, there are 80 Walmart stores and Sam's Clubs in Minnesota and nearly 5,000 Walmarts across the U.S., according to officials.
The pharmacy staff at the Brooklyn Center location will work with its customers to transfer their prescriptions.
An official statement from Walmart reads: "We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our Brooklyn Center location. We look forward to serving them at our other stores in the surrounding communities and on walmart.com."
"This is devasting and a major economic loss to our region because Walmart has served the Brooklyn Center community since 2012. Our residents have relied on the convenience of the location. While this presents a significant challenge to the city, we are committed to rebounding and building a stronger local economy," said Brooklyn Center's City Manager, Dr. Reginald Edwards, in a news release.
Edwards called together city leaders on Tuesday to discuss "short-and long-term plans" for the area.
"We are concerned about the impact that a large empty retail space will have on surrounding businesses and our community," said Mayor April Graves in the news release. "While losing Walmart is an undeniable setback for our city, we continue to be committed to our work of bringing in new development."
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