As the king of the brick and mortar space, Walmart (WMT) has to stay ahead of changes to remain competitive.
It may not seem like physical retail can change in the blink of an eye.
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But big box stores must be just as adaptable as online retailers; and customers demand that they keep up.
“We are a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer dedicated to helping people save money and live better,” CEO Doug McMillon said, per Chain Drug Review. “I don’t want to underestimate the impact of technological change, but we serve people, and we work with people.”
And while that people-centric perspective can get you pretty far, it doesn’t get retailers all the way over the finish line in our technologically innovative world.
So Walmart has embarked on a lofty project to renovate and modernize 650 stores across 47 states.
All told, each renovation could run about $1 million per store.
“This store was built with the customer in mind. It’s part of a larger transformation happening across our stores as we reimagine what shopping looks like for the future. It shows what’s possible when innovation meets intention,” President John Furner said of the new project.
Walmart is closing a store in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
Image source: Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images
Walmart makes a tough closure
Some stores don’t serve Walmart’s vision of the future anymore, though.
Walmart said it will close a store in Coon Rapids, Minn. on August 29, 2025.
The store is located on Riverdale Drive NW in a large shopping plaza, next to a Hobby Lobby, Skechers outlet, and Plato’s Closet. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Minneapolis.
There are over a dozen Walmart locations in the greater Minneapolis area, and the Coon Rapids location is considered an older store.
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The Coon Rapids Walmart location lacks a robust grocery store, which customers have been increasingly seeking out for affordable food, particularly as tariffs and inflation squeeze the cost of everything from eggs to apparel.
A Walmart spokesperson called the store an older format, adding that the closure is also due to a poor financial performance.
“We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our store in Coon Rapids. We look forward to continuing to serve them at our many nearby locations, on walmart.com and through delivery to their home or business,” Walmart said of the closure.
Walmart has been changing its stores
With over 4,600 locations across the U.S., Walmart is always examining its stores for inefficiencies or areas for improvement.
It recently did away with the self checkout option at its Shrewsbury, Mo. store as theft reached untenable levels.
After Walmart removed the option, theft calls to the police dropped to 11% overall , between January to May 2025. The store saw an over 50% drop in theft overall. Arrests were also down.
That store remains open for business, just with assisted checkouts via real cashiers.
The Coon Rapids, Minnesota store closure, however, marks the second store closed in the northern Twin Cities area in two years.
The Brooklyn Center store, also north of Minneapolis, closed down in April 2023.
All 180 affected employees in Coon Rapids store will be eligible for transfers to other stores in the area.
