Many were surprised by the Bed, Bath & Beyond store closures and liquidation sale, following years of those blue 20% off coupons you had stacked up on the kitchen counter.

How does a popular, giant company go under so quickly?

Well, it really wasn't that quickly if you follow business news. Who will be the next behemoth company to go under?

Some might say Walmart is a target, but according to businessinsider.com, Walmart has been smart about quietly "closing a handful of stores in various states each year" due to underperformance.

According to Forbes.com, Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, and is double the size of Amazon, but that doesn't mean it isn't downsizing nor eliminating retailers not doing as well as expected.

Walmart reassesses its supercenters, retail stores, and pickup locations year-round.

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In New Hampshire, there are 19 supercenters, seven discount stores, and two Sam's Club. Walmart employs over 8,000 people in the Granite State, according to corporate.walmart.com.

In Maine there are 19 supercenters, three discount stores, and three Sam's Club, making Walmart responsible for over 7,700 jobs in the state, as corporate.walmart.com reports.

With over 10,620 retail store worldwide, it's a far cry from its modest beginnings in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Walmart just announced it will be closing 20 stores in 11 states. This is more than they usually close, but considering four of those stores are in the Chicago area, closing 20 out of the 4,700 stores in the US seems like attrition.

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If you're worried about your favorite local Walmart brand in New Hampshire or Maine, don't.  We are fortunate the company is not closing any stores here, rather mostly in Illinois, Oregon, and Georgia, followed by Texas, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Washington, Wisconsin, Florida, and DC.

You can read the full list at Business Insider by clicking here. As of July 2023, no New England stores have made the list.

Thanks, Sam.

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