AURORA, Colo. — Walmart is set to close one of its neighborhood markets in Aurora next week, leaving neighbors and shoppers concerned about what it will mean for the area.
The market at E. Colfax Avenue and Havana Street is set to close on June 7.
Kay Abdul spends a lot of time on the road as a truck driver.
“All over the country. And when I’m in the Denver area, this is the go-to Walmart for me because this is an area where I do a lot of my drop-offs,” said Abdul.
But when he walked into the Walmart store Monday, he was surprised.
“No water. No produce. No oil that I can get for the vehicle. It was in shambles,” said Abdul.
The shelves are empty because the store is closing next week.
Walmart officials said the location did not perform as well as they hoped and the decision to close was not made lightly.
In a Facebook post, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman noted the store was located “in the most difficult area of the city in terms of crime.” In a separate post, Coffman said Walmart “has a reputation for being tolerant of shoplifting.” But state Senator Rhonda Fields, who represents the area, said that’s not what she’s seen.
“When I go into the store, I don't see people stealing,” Fields said. “So to give the impression that people in this neighborhood steal and they're closing because of theft is something that I have not been able to verify.”
Fields said if people are stealing, “that's even more of a need to make sure that we have access to food, livable wages, access to affordable housing.”
Walmart made no mention of retail theft in its reasoning for the closure.
“There is no single cause for why a store closes and our decision is based on several factors, including historic and current financial performance, and is in line with the threshold that guides our strategy to close underperforming locations,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement.
“This is going to devastate the community, in my view, because this Walmart was like a lifeline,” said Fields. “It's like the go-to place if you need diapers, if you need milk, if you need access to affordable produce, if you need milk, eggs, batteries or anything like that.”
She hopes another store will move to the location.
“I do not want to see this Walmart boarded up and have this lot be vacant at the expense of my neighbors and friends that live in this area,” Fields said.
Shoppers like Abdul also hope someone else moves in.
“Hopefully, we can come up with a new plan to open a similar store for this area,” said Abdul.
Walmart said employees at the store are eligible to transfer to another location. Some employees told Denver7 they planned to do that.
Coffman pushed back on claims from community activists that the closure would turn the area into a food desert. He noted that people can shop at the Lowe’s Market, located a block away.
