Sam’s Club Says It Will Focus On Online Orders After Closings

After Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart Stores Inc. announced Thursday the closure of 63 clubs around the country, the company also announced that 12 of the impacted clubs will be converted into eCommerce fulfillment centers.

The 12 centers will speed delivery of online orders, with the balance of the facilities closing over the next few weeks, Walmart announced.

"We are still assessing which buildings will be good" to be converted into eCommerce centers, a spokesman with Walmart told Patch.

Among the closures were the Linden and Mt. Olive locations.

Currently, Walmart and Sam’s Club operate more than 5,400 locations across the U.S. After the actions announced Thursday the company will have 597 clubs.

“Transforming our business means managing our real estate portfolio and Walmart needs a strong fleet of Sam’s Clubs that are fit for the future,” said John Furner, president and CEO of Sam’s Club. “We know this is difficult news for our associates and we are working to place as many of them as possible at nearby locations.”

Walmart will provide support and resources to those associates who are affected, including the bonus announced Thursday and 60 days of pay, as well as severance to those eligible.

Union County is also offering assistance to any county resident who was laid off by Sam's Club Store closings. An estimated 200 full-time and part-time employees were laid off from the Linden store.

• See Related: Sam's Club In Linden Closes Abruptly
• See Related: Sam's Club In Mount Olive Closes Abruptly

The first of these converted eCommerce fulfillment centers will be located in Memphis, Tennessee.

(Image by DodgertonSkillhause via Morguefile)

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