Walmart planning major store changes ahead for 2025
The retail chain is undergoing lots of changes in the year ahead.
If you want to discern how well a retailer is doing, take a quick drive through the area you live in.
If you see a retailer with lots of cars in its parking lot, chances are they're doing alright.
Related: National hamburger chain closing dozens of restaurants
If you see a couple of those same retailers with busy lots, chances are they're doing well.
And if you see more than a couple of those retailers -- and they're all really busy -- chances are it's a Walmart (WMT) .
That's because Walmart prides itself in its accessibility.
Its successful brick and mortar business model allows the vast majority of the American population to access a Walmart relatively easily.
In fact, there's at least one Walmart store located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population. That's no small feat, considering the vast majority of successful retailers will now tell you that you'd better convert most of your operations to online or risk being spread too thin. 
Walmart is always changing
One of the ways Walmart is so successful is because it's so adaptive.
In 2020, for example, when nearly everyone was staying at home and ordering online, Walmart launched Walmart+, a competitor to Amazon Prime.
It repurposed its already robust store fleet to double as online fulfillment centers to make deliveries faster and easier.
More Walmart:
- Walmart customers outraged over popular product price increase
- Walmart, Target, Costco make major 2025 announcement
- Walmart exec drops a bombshell about $840 billion market
But Walmart doesn't just grow for growth's sake. It knows when to shrink its footprint if that's best for business. It sunsetted its Walmart Health venture in 2024, for example, closing 51 locations.
Walmart makes store changes
And now, Walmart is changing more about its stores.
America's largest retailer is planning to open more gas and convenience store locations within its already impressive footprint.
It will also open more Neighborhood Market locations, which are smaller versions of Walmart and are intended to focus as more of a grab and go grocery model without as many SKUs.
Related: Iconic ice cream chain unexpectedly closing locations
“By adding dozens of fuel and convenience stations this year, we are bringing even more value to our customers," Walmart U.S. VP of Fuel and Convenience Dave DeSerio said.
“Customers shop Walmart for our everyday low prices and convenience offerings, and the fuel stations are another example of us responding to our customer and member needs.”
