B.C. Walmart permanently closes after months of safety concerns

A Walmart store in B.C. announced it was abruptly closing for good, surprising many local shoppers.

The Prince Rupert location has closed its doors after being plagued by issues in recent months.

“After thoughtful consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to permanently close our Prince Rupert store, effective immediately,” said a statement on the store’s Facebook page Monday.

It noted that they were “initially closed out of concern for the safety of our associates and customers,” but the “prolonged closure led to a larger review of the store location and operations and our long-term plans.”

The next closest Walmart is 144 kilometres away in Terrace, B.C., and the Prince Rupert store said it would to transfer patient records and prescriptions to the other store and offered free