Walmart Officials Confirms Sam’s Club in West Ellicott to Close on Jan. 26

UPDATE [Jan. 11, 2018 at 2:15 p.m.]:

Walmart has confirmed that it will be closing its Sam’s Club Store in West Ellicott at the end of January.

Phillip Keene Director, Corporate Communications for Walmart/Sam’s Club, provided the following statement to WRFA in regards to the closing:

• We’ve made the difficult decision to close our Jamestown Sam’s Club location. The Club will close to the public by Jan. 26.
• We don’t take this lightly and decisions like these are incredibly difficult. This decision is based on a number of factors, including financial performance.
• Our hope is that many associates at the Club will choose to stay with the company via transfer and we’ll begin working to make that happen.
• Hourly associates will continue receiving compensation for 60 days while they look for other opportunities in nearby Clubs or Walmart stores.
• If associates haven’t transferred at the end of the 60 days, if eligible, they will receive severance.

UPDATE: Jan. 11, 2018 at 2:27 p.m.]

State Senator Cathy Young (R-Olean) released the following statement following the news of the Sam’s Club closure:

“Like many in the community, I was alarmed and disheartened to learn of the sudden impending closure of the Sam’s Club in Jamestown. This is a devastating blow to the store’s employees and their families and to our area, which values all of its businesses and works hard to foster strong public-private partnerships.

I have already heard from small business owners, including restaurants, who are deeply concerned about the impact this will have on their operations. Many obtain the majority of their supplies from Sam’s Club, which means this closure has placed their ability to continue to operate in jeopardy.

I urge the company’s management to reconsider this decision. Those of us who serve at the state and local levels of government stand ready and willing to work together to help find a better solution.”

ORIGINAL STORY

JAMESTOWN – WRFA has received a report that Sam’s Club, located on Fairmount Ave. in West Ellicott, will be closing its doors by the end of this month. According to a source familiar with the story, the Walmart-affiliated chain store’s last day of business will be Friday, Jan. 26.

A call to the local store on Thursday morning yielded only a voice message, stating that the store was closed on Thursday and would reopen on Friday.

SAM’s Club first opened a store in West Ellicott in 1998 and currently employees about 115 people. The wholesale store services not only residents, but dozens of local businesses as well.

WRFA has sent out an inquiry to Walmart Corporate headquarters for confirmation on the story but so far have not received a response.