Family Dollar to close facility where rodents found; about 300 workers impacted

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (WMC/Gray News) - Family Dollar representatives said the company plans to close its West Memphis distribution facility by the end of October.

Wednesday’s announcement comes months after a U.S. Food & Drug Administration investigation unveiled unsanitary conditions at the facility that included contaminated food, cosmetics, and medications with more than a thousand rats found.

WMC reports the investigation shuttered Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee for weeks.

The distribution facility opened in 1994 and ships items across the Mid-South. The planned closure will impact about 300 employees.

Company representatives said the facility will continue to ship to stores until the end of June, and inventory transfers to other distribution centers will be completed in August.

A Family Dollar spokesperson issued the following statement regarding the closure:

“Like most companies, we regularly assess our operational footprint to ensure we are running our business in the most effective and responsible way. As a result of that process, we determined the nearly 30-year-old facility in West Memphis would not be adequate to allow us to continue serving the needs and requirements of our stores and customers served by the distribution center.

This was a difficult decision we did not take lightly, especially because of our outstanding team in West Memphis, our relationship with the community, and the partnership we have had with the State of Arkansas since 1994. We are committed to treating impacted associates fairly and respectfully, and we are doing everything we can to support them with their transitions, including providing severance plans to those who are eligible, as well as offering outplacement services and employee assistance programs.”

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