Business News

Walmart to leave Sunrise Mall

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After being there for the past 12 years, the Walmart at the Westfield Sunrise Mall in Massapequa is getting ready to leave.

The two-level Walmart occupies 130,000 square feet. Shoppers and approximately 300 workers currently employed there will soon be saying their goodbyes to the one of the mall’s shopping hubs that has been there since May 2003.

“It is one of the cheaper stores in the mall. It has everything from electronics to furniture to food,” said Richard Dupkin, 19, of Seaford. “It will probably be missed.”

The Director of Communications of Walmart, William Wertz, explained the reason for Walmart’s departure as “a business decision based on the company’s analysis of our lease agreement at Sunrise Mall, which is expiring,” He went on to say how this reason was also combined with their “inability to offer a full assortment of fresh food and grocery at this particular location due to the store’s layout.”

Wertz explained how the taste and preferences of Walmart shoppers is growing. In its other locations, Walmart is including a variety of different produce that cannot be stored inside the Sunrise Mall location. For this reason, the company thought it would be best to close the store. Its closure is set to take place March 6.

“I’m not a shopper and I don’t know what Walmart has to offer compared to other stores,” said Frank Tierney, 60, of Seaford. “But I’m more concerned about the loss of employment for those that need it.”

According to Wertz, the Walmart employees who are affected will be eligible to apply at the several nearby Walmart locations. Those who can’t find work after April 6 will get severance packages equal to one week of pay for each full year of service.

Frequent visitors of the mall expressed other concerns about the leave. “The thought of how much money the mall is going to lose comes to mind and makes me curious about what will happen to the other stores,” said Sean Suchara, 21, of Seaford. “They will no longer have this giant to support them,”

Others had different opinions about Walmart’s place in Sunrise Mall. “It got rid of small businesses that are changing the mall,” said Theresa Lambert, 20, of Seaford. “I have seen stores come and go and it’s really sad.”

Westfield representatives had a similar outlook and approached Walmart’s planned departure with optimism. “It’s wide open,” said Don Miller, a spokesman for Westfield. “It presents a lot of opportunity to bring new retailers into the mix.”