Coon Rapids Walmart permanently closing at the end of August; 170+ to be laid off
The Walmart in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, is closing for good on Aug. 29, the store said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Around 176 people will be permanently laid off as a result of the closure, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The layoff will take effect on Oct. 31, and those impacted will be paid for 90 days after the store shuts down.
During those 90 days, employees at the store on Riverdale Drive Northwest will be able to apply for open positions at other Walmart, Sam's Club or other company facilities.
Employees being laid off are not represented by a union, the state says.
Several shoppers say they're surprised by the announcement.
"I really can't figure it out. Can't wrap my head around it... doesn't make much sense to me" said Barlea Wright, who frequently shops at Walmart store #1562, and lives right around the corner. "They're in prime real estate. This is a great area to be in. They do have a lot of competition but they have a name that's prominent."
Daniel Hernandez, who owns a supermarket in north Minneapolis, thinks the closure is likely because of a certain trend.
"It used to be people spending $200 or $300 per week. Right now, they're spending, at the most, $30 to $40. They come for the basics," Hernandez said.
Hernandez says, despite being hopeful, business is down.
"A pack of tortillas used to be $1.50. Now they're $2.69," he said. "It's a battle big grocery stores are fighting every single day."
Hernandez's team has even planned events in the parking lot, amongst other adaptations, to get customers in the door.
Coon Rapids City Councilmember Pat Carlson said this was "a corporate decision," and that the city can't do much about the closure.
"I remember when the store was built as an anchor for the Riverdale Crossing Shopping Center in 1990," Carlson said about the store. "There was a lot of buzz at the time."
Fellow Councilmember Pat Butler said he will be "monitoring Walmart's progress" to help impacted employees.
"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our store in Coon Rapids," a spokesperson for Walmart said. "We look forward to continuing to serve them at our many nearby locations, on Walmart.com and through delivery to their home or business."
Six other Walmart stores are located within 10 miles of the Coon Rapids store. The company says four of those six are undergoing multi-million dollar remodels this year.
The Walmart in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, closed down in April 2023. The company said at that time that the shutdown was tied to poor performance. A Sun Foods Supermarket has since opened in that building.