Walmart Will Close 154 U.S Stores, 269 Stores Worldwide

(Updated: 4:51pm to include the now released list of Illinois and Wisconsin location to be closed)

10,000 employees will be affected as Walmart announces the closure of 269 of it's store around the world.

The affect of the closures on Stateline Walmart locations cannot be determined at this time as Walmart has not released a specific listing of locations that will be impacted.

In a Friday press release, Walmart said that as part of a “sharpened focus on portfolio management,” the 154 U.S. closures include 102 of its Walmart Express stores, which were opened during a test that started in 2011.

The closures will include:

23 Neighborhood Market stores
12 Supercenters
4 Sam’s Club locations
6 discount stores
7 stores in Puerto Rico

The company said 95 percent of the stores impacted are within 10 miles of another Walmart.

Walmart does not operate any Neighborhood Market stores or discount stores in the Rockford area, but it does operate several Supercenters and one Sam's Club location.

"Actively managing our portfolio of assets is essential to maintaining a healthy business,” said Doug McMillon, president and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “Closing stores is never an easy decision, but it is necessary to keep the company strong and positioned for the future. It’s important to remember that we’ll open well more than 300 stores around the world next year. So we are committed to growing, but we are being disciplined about it.

Rockford is on track to get a new Walmart as last year Walmart purchased a the Southgate Strip mall on 11th street. WIFR reports that one local business owner says the superstore is moving in when the Big K’s lease is up.

The Illinois Stores that will be closing are both in the city of Chicago: