Sam's Club in Batavia to shut down Jan. 26

BATAVIA – The Sam's Club in Batavia, located at 501 N. Randall Road, Batavia, will close its doors Jan. 26.

As a result of this closure, 150 employees will be put out of work, according to a WARN notice sent to the city of Batavia the morning of Jan. 11.

WARN or the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 is a federal labor law that requires most employers with 100 or more employees to give 60 calendar-day advance notification of plant closings and mass layoffs.

"Of course, we are shocked and disappointed. It is one of our largest retailers in this city," City Administrator Laura Newman said. "And by all appearances it was a very popular store with a lot of shoppers and a full parking lot. We are very shocked."

According to the WARN notice, employees were notified of the closure Jan. 11. All management employees at the Batavia facility will be terminated as of April 13, and all of its hourly employees will be terminated as of March 16.

"We expect the employment separations to be permanent," the notice stated. "There is no union representative, recall or bumping rights. However, all separated employees have the opportunity to apply for open positions at other Sam's Clubs or Walmart facilities."