Walmart to close White Plains store but may be looking at other nearby locations

Akiko Matsuda | Rockland/Westchester Journal News

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WHITE PLAINS - Walmart has announced it will close its downtown White Plains store by Aug. 10, but the company is reportedly looking for a larger location with more parking in the immediate area.

"I have been out with Walmart, looking at other sites," said Martin Deitch, executive vice president with the Aries Deitch & Endelson retail and commercial real estate firm in Hartsdale, adding that the company wants ample outdoor parking.

Philip Keene, a Walmart spokesman, said Tuesday that the store at 275 Main St. will be closed as the company shifts its focus to supercenters, which include groceries.

"The decision to close our White Plains store is not an easy one. We opened the store in 2006 and we are as proud today as we’ve ever been with how the store leadership and associates have served and contributed to the local community over the years," Keene said in a written statement. "We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them in White Plains. We look forward to continuing to serve them at other area locations and online at walmart.com."

The less-than-ideal financial performance of the downtown store — which occupies 179,000 square feet of leased retail space — was also a factor in the decision, he said.

Deitch also noted that the location's parking garage was less than ideal.

"(Walmart customers) are uncomfortable parking in a garage structure, taking an elevator with their cart to get to their garage, as oppose to just walking out of the store and going into an open-air parking lot," Deitch said.

Deitch went on to say that the vacated Walmart site in downtown White Plains would be ripe for another high-rise residential development.

"It's perfectly situated, not far from the train station," he said. "It would make all sense in the world to repurpose the asset to residential."

The store's employees as well as local officials were notified of the closing Tuesday morning, Keene said.

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The store's pharmacy will close Aug. 7, and its staff will work with customers to transfer prescriptions to another convenient location, including Sam's Club at 333 Saw Mill River Road in Greenburgh, Keene said.

The store employs 395 people, and the company intends to work with them to transfer them to different Walmart locations. Employees who are not offered comparable positions with the company will be paid through Oct. 26 unless they leave the company before that date. Severance packages will be available for eligible workers.

White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach said his immediate concern is for the workers who are losing their jobs, and the city is here to help.

"I contacted our Education Training Center, which is an innovative program that trains people for jobs where there is a shortage of qualified people, for example health care, culinary, and hospitality to name a few," Roach said. "The ETC is willing to work with Walmart. I conveyed this information to Walmart and we look forward to working with them to make this a reality."

While it's sad to see Walmart's closing, its departure can be a "blessing in disguise" for other boutique retailers, said Jonathan Gordon, president and CEO with Admiral Real Estate Services in Bronxville.

"Walmart is what we call a category killer. If there's a Walmart, retailers want to be near Walmart because they generate so much traffic," Gordon said. "But they also sell everything so inexpensively that it’s very hard for any other retailers to open up in the area."

Twitter: @LohudAkiko