Walmart In Brooklyn? Fuggedaboutit! Nation’s Biggest Retailer Gives Up Fight For East NY Location
Proving that resistance is not futile, the All-American Ultra-Chain, Walmart, has retreated from efforts to plant its flag in East New York.
Since at least 2007, Walmart has been paving the way for an invasion of Brooklyn’s Gateway II shopping center. Local activists claimed America’s largest retailer would hurt local businesses, a position bolstered by research in Chicago. Drivers, meanwhile, bemoaned what a Walmart on the Belt Parkway would do to traffic congestion, and union activists slammed it for what they said were anti-union practices. And the corporate behemoth raised eyebrows when they donated millions of dollars to help fund local politician’s pet projects to gain political support.
Now the opponents seem to have emerged victorious, and Walmart is backing off its claim to Gateway.
Walmart last week issued a boilerplate statement stating, “We were unable to agree upon economic terms for a project in East New York.”
The release left open the possibility that the mega-chain will one day set roots in New York City.
“We remain committed to bringing new economic development and shopping options to New York City,” the release said.
No new locations of interest have been announced by the company.
