Eighty-two Walmart Neighborhood Market employees in Huntsville have been recently notified that they’ll be laid off.
The Walmart location at 4226 Northwest Oakwood Ave. in Huntsville recently announced its closure. Soon after that announcement came a WARN notice — postings which are required by federal law to notify workers before mass layoffs — posted on Dec. 5 that listed 80 planned layoffs for that location, effective Dec. 20, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“The decision to close our Walmart location at 4226 NW Oakwood Ave.in Huntsville was not made lightly and was reached only after a careful and thoughtful review process,” said Charles Crowson, a spokesperson for Walmart. “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 the pharmacy will close to the public on Dec. 20, and Crowson said that pharmacists at this location will work with customers to transfer prescriptions to different Walmart locations.
Though the store closes to the public on Dec. 20, Crowson said all 82 employees will be paid through March 7. Crowson said all employees are “eligible for transfer” to a different store. If employees choose not to transfer, Crowson said “eligible associates will receive severance.”
In the Huntsville area, there are nine Walmart locations. Four of these are within about 5 miles of the location at 4226 Northwest Oakwood Ave. that is closing its doors.
“We have been, and will continue to be, supportive of our store leadership and associates at this store,” Crowson said. “This decision is in no way a reflection of their hard work and customer service. We hope the 82 associates at this store will want to continue their careers with Walmart by transferring to another nearby store.“