Walmart Closings: None in the Tampa Bay Area

Tampa Bay area Walmart fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

The big box retailer has announced that none of its planned 154 closings in the United States impact stores in the region. Three locations in Florida, however, will see doors shutter in the near future. Those stores are located in Cross City, Interlachen and Trenton. All three stores will close to the public on Jan. 28, Walmart announced in a Friday media release.

All told, Walmart intends to close 269 stores globally.

“Actively managing our portfolio of assets is essential to maintaining a healthy business,” said Doug McMillon, Walmart president and CEO, in a Friday statement. “Closing stores is never an easy decision, but it is necessary to keep the company strong and positioned for the future. It’s important to remember that we’ll open well more than 300 stores around the world next year. So we are committed to growing, but we are being disciplined about it.”

While no Tampa Bay area Walmarts are slated to close, the chain has seen several openings over the past year in the region. New Neighborhood Markets have opened in Palm Harbor, Port Richey, Spring Hill, Riverview and Tampa. A new Supercenter also opened in Tampa.

A brand new North Port Neighborhood Market is also slated to open by the end of January and the Bloomingdale store is on the books for relocation, company officials confirm.