The Dunwoody Walmart Supercenter is closing in July due to underperformance, according to an announcement made by the company Thursday.
“This decision was not made lightly and was reached only after a careful and thoughtful review process,” Walmart said in a statement. “We have nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S. and unfortunately some do not meet our financial expectations. While our underlying business is strong, this store hasn’t performed as well as we hoped.”
The store and its pharmacy department, located at 4725 Ashford Dunwoody Rd., will cease operations on July 12, according to the announcement. More than 300 associates work at the Dunwoody location.
“All associates in the store are eligible for transfer and will be paid through September 20. After that date, if they do not transfer, eligible associates will receive severance,” the release said.
The Dunwoody store’s shuttering is joined by another location in Marietta. The company’s statement said that no other closures were planned in the region for the foreseeable future.
While some are celebrating the closure and already offering suggestions on social media as to what could fill that space (pickleball facility, Wegman’s, and the perennial favorite, Trader Joe’s), Walmart devotees say they loved the store for its rock-bottom deals.
“The prices on everything were better than any other store around,” Dunwoody resident Shelly Jacobs said. “I just was there today to pick up a shirt for my son.”
Longtime teacher Christina Kramer said she enjoyed taking advantage of Walmart’s back-to-school sales.
“I always spent a lot stocking up on supplies for the year because prices were so low,” Kramer said. “The prices were much cheaper than Target.”
Whether mourning or celebrating the news, most people agreed on one thing – Walmart’s in-store service was always, in their opinion, terrible.
“It’s sad that it’s closing because you can find just about everything there, but I always have anxiety checking out or if I actually need help finding something,” Jonathan Peters said. “Forget about it if you have a question. But I will say the curbside pickup has always been efficient and quick.”
The Walmart announcement said there are nine other store locations within a 15-mile radius of Dunwoody. It appears the closest location will be in Chamblee, which is 4.7 miles away from the Dunwoody store.
