Which Walmart locations were permanently closed in 2025 by state and city?
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Executive summary
Available reporting is conflicted about whether Walmart permanently closed specific stores in 2025: several outlets and aggregators published lists naming 11 stores across states such as California, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, Wisconsin and Colorado, but Walmart told Fast Company and others it had “no current plans to close any stores in 2025,” saying earlier closures occurred in 2024 [1] [2] [3]. Major articles claiming an exact state‑and‑city list rely on secondary sites and viral lists rather than a single definitive corporate release [4] [5] [6].
1. What the claims say: multiple lists name 11 closures across six states
Numerous news sites and listicles published full lists of Walmart locations “closing in 2025,” repeatedly pointing to 11 permanent closures concentrated in California and including stores in Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, Wisconsin and Colorado [7] [5] [4]. These stories presented city‑level claims (for example naming San Diego, El Cajon, West Covina, Fremont and Granite Bay in California) and framed the moves as part of an “optimize store performance” push [4] [7].
2. Walmart’s public response: company denies planned 2025 closures
Fast Company reported that Walmart told it a widely circulated list of store closures for 2025 was false and that “there are no current plans to close any stores in 2025,” noting the 11 locations referenced were actually closed in 2024, not now slated for 2025 [1] [2]. That statement is the clearest corporate counterpoint in the available reporting [1] [2].
3. How reporting diverged: viral lists vs. corporate correction
The discrepancy stems from secondary outlets republishing viral lists without confirming with Walmart; Fast Company said the false list had been corrected after Walmart contacted those outlets, but the misinformation had already spread across sites including MSN, TheStreet, and other aggregators [1] [8] [4]. Multiple later pieces continued to circulate similar lists, demonstrating how an initial misreport can propagate [9] [6].
4. What is verifiable from current sources: confirmed 2024 closures, not 2025
Available sources agree that Walmart closed 11 stores in 2024 and has been remodeling and opening fuel/convenience sites and Neighborhood Markets — figures like “45 fuel and convenience stations” or “more than 450 stations” appear in reporting — but the specific state‑and‑city closure list for 2025 is not confirmed by Walmart in these sources [1] [10] [11]. The explicit, company‑verified list for 2025 closures is not found in current reporting [1] [2].
5. Why this matters locally: jobs, access and retail strategy
Stories that name city‑level closures raise immediate concerns about jobs and food access; several outlets framed the closures as responses to underperformance, shifting customer patterns and a strategic pivot toward higher‑margin areas like memberships and fuel [5] [12]. But because Walmart’s corporate denial exists in the reporting, communities should seek confirmation from local store notices or direct Walmart statements rather than relying on syndications [1] [2].
6. How to verify store‑level closures yourself
Use primary sources: Walmart’s corporate statements or its local store webpages and in‑store notices; Fast Company’s piece documents Walmart’s denial of the viral 2025 list and is the best available corporate response in current reporting [1] [2]. Aggregators that posted lists often cite unnamed or secondary sources and have been corrected in at least one case after Walmart’s outreach [1].
7. Competing narratives and possible agendas
Some outlets emphasized a narrative of “mass closures” to attract clicks and framed the moves within a broader retail‑apocalypse context, while Walmart’s message stresses growth in fuel, convenience and selective new openings to defend its overall health [4] [10] [1]. Fast Company reports Walmart’s denial and suggests some coverage relied on outdated or misattributed closure data from 2024 [1].
Limitations and bottom line: the available sources include many unverified lists naming specific state-and-city closures for 2025 but also contain a direct corporate denial that no store closures were planned for 2025 and that cited closures occurred in 2024 [1] [2]. For a definitive, state‑by‑city inventory of permanent 2025 closures, current reporting does not provide a Walmart‑verified list — consult Walmart’s official communications or local store notices for confirmation [1] [2].