wal-mart

Wal-Mart Wants to Set Up Shop in Brooklyn

While Wal-Mart’s attempts to open outposts in Queens and Staten Island have been shut down twice by the city’s labor unions, the retail giant is making a go for it again in Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn.

Crain’s reports that Wal-Mart has its eye on the 630,000-square-foot Gateway II shopping center set in the middle of a low-income neighborhood, among other outer-borough locations.

And while both Wal-Mart and the Gateway developer are staying mum on the subject, unions are ready to oppose the move based on the increased competition it would bring to nearby BJ’s Wholesale Club, Target, and mom-and-pop shops, as well as the treatment of Wal-Mart workers.

On the other hand, Wal-Mart thinks it’s high time to open a shop in the Big Apple.

“We know that New Yorkers want to shop and work at Wal-Mart, and as a result, we continue to evaluate potential opportunities here,” says Steven Restivo, Wal-Mart’s community-affairs director. “New Yorkers want quality jobs and affordable groceries, and it remains our goal to be part of the solution.”

Do you think the low-priced retailer should come to New York?


Walmart Targets NY Sites On QT
[Crain’s]

Wal-Mart Wants to Set Up Shop in Brooklyn