Who would acquire the remaining PR and USVI stores? USVI especially, there is nothing comparable on either island to KMart, and it will be a disruption for the population if those 4 stores close. Would Wal-Mart finally jump over from PR and rebrand/renovate those stores?
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VI and PR aren’t worthless, the scale of what Guam does, store-wide, just completely dwarfs every other market.
I just don’t understand why Guam is so valuable with 1 store while USVI (with 4 stores between 2 islands) is disregarded as being worthless? Help me understand.
PR had an epic diaspora after hurricane Maria. Even though the island population is slightly more captive to the available spread of stores as compared to the mainland population (thus Kmart's relative resilience), this massive exodus had to have made it yet more unsustainable for Kmart than it already was. While there was a need on the island for big box because using e-tailers is harder than the mainland, my guess is that Walmart will easily satisfy the remaining population with existing stores or shore it up by picking up a couple of the old Kmarts. There are areas that barely exist anymore. The Guayama store had a giant gash in it from the storm nearly two years later and wasn't much more than a dilapidated warehouse inside. That whole city looks like The Walking Dead (no offense to those who live there, but it's just been abandoned). There are other parts that are not far off from this condition. In some of these areas, they probably don't need more than a Supermax.
Also, not to be rude, but it isn't WM's or anyone's problem if the people on the islands get disrupted by stores closing. Private companies will open or close stores where they want to, not just to make sure people don't get "disrupted".
@qxf Exactly. Nobody, but nobody, wants Kmarts, sad old stores. Perhaps with the exception of Guam. These island stores will close and the locals will just have to find some other stores to shop at. People in the US have Learned to survive without Kmarts, LOL, the people on those islands will as well.
The Sears pounded by Hurricanes are actually the best ones because they were remodeled with the insurance money.
thesis places will continue to get pounded in global warming storms. Hard to find new investment there, IMO.
Folks on St Croix and St Thomas care. I care.
Ah. Nobody cares
I do not think Walmart is interested in taking over anyone's used stores, especially K-mart. They are most likely, if anything, to tear them down and just build new ones. Or.. most likely if they see a market they will just grab a plot of land and build something new and gigantic leaving the old store space to rot or be divided up into a strip mall or condos, or storage space, etc.