CINCINNATI — The Walmart in Forest Park, on Smiley Road, will permanently close to the public by April 22, according to a press release from Walmart.
The closure is based on several factors, the release said, including historic and current financial performance. Because of that, the Forest Park location is "in like with the threshold that guides our strategy to close underperforming locations," said the release.
The company's decision to shutter the location has nothing to do with employee performance or overall quality of the store, the press release said. Store employees who want to continue working for Walmart will have the option to transfer to another store. In Ohio alone, there are 172 Walmart and Sam's Clubs.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our Forest Park location," reads a statement from Walmart spokesperson Felicia McCranie. "We look forward to serving them at our other stores in the surrounding communities and on walmart.com."
McCranie also said three job fairs have been held since Walmart announced the the store closure, and more than 50% of workers from the Forest Park location have accepted offers for positions at nearby stores.
“Our associates are the heartbeat of the company and our top priority is to take care of them during this transition," MCranie said. "We have several open positions and are actively identifying transfer opportunities and assisting associates through the transfer process.”
