HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – West Michigan has apparently been spared in one of the more drastic store closings in recent American retail history.
Sam’s Club, a unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., closed a series of stores following a review, the membership-only store chain said in a tweet on Thursday. It came after a series of reports from local news outlets said some Sam’s Club stores were closed abruptly on Thursday, with employees learning of the move as they arrived for work. (http://bit.ly/2DjkkWv)
In the tweet, Sam’s Club today “After a thorough review of our existing portfolio, we’ve decided to close a series of clubs and better align our locations with our strategy. Closing clubs is never easy and we’re committed to working with impacted members and associates through this transition.”
A Sam’s Club website has already removed the closed stores, and a check of that website indicated that six outlets in West Michigan – Holland, Muskegon, Comstock Park, Kentwood, Battle Creek, and Portage – had been spared. The Sam’s Club in Lansing is on the list of closed locations.
Earlier in the day Wal-Mart said it would raise entry-level wages for U.S. hourly employees to $11 an hour in February as it benefits from last month’s major overhaul of the U.S. tax code.
-Reuters contributed to this report.
