BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner announced on LinkedIn that Walmart stores will be closed for Thanksgiving this year.
"Thanksgiving is a special day, and we want our store associates to have a chance to spend it with their families and loved ones," said Furner in his LinkedIn post.
In the past, Walmart was open for shoppers on Thanksgiving, however, since the COVID-19 pandemic the store has closed on the holiday.
In 2020, for the first time, the company said it would close on Thanksgiving as a way to give a break to essential staff who worked during the pandemic. This will be the fourth year in a row the store has closed on Thanksgiving.
"We have so much to be thankful for, and I'm especially grateful for our associates," Furner said.
Walmart will be open regular hours on the day before and after Thanksgiving. Walmart is the first major retailer to announce its closing for the holiday this year.
John Furner, a University of Arkansas graduate, is the president and chief executive officer of Walmart U.S. He oversees more than 1.5 million associates across the county in as many as 4,700 stores nationwide.
According to the company's website, Furner started as an hourly associate at Store 100 in Bentonville, Arkansas.
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