CHICAGO-Protests by city residents and groups against Walmart, which just opened a new 157,000-square-foot new store, have diminished during the past couple of years as any type of job creation is seen as welcome. Where Chicago was seen as no-Walmart land just five years ago, the company is going full-steam on its 2010 plan to open dozens of stores in the city.
The new store is the second to open in the Chatham Market neighborhood; a 10,000-square-foot Walmart Express opened in 2011. Construction of the bigger store went fast, as the company just purchased the 13.5 acres in April 2011 from Monroe Investment Partners LLC. Walmart is also opening or has already opened stores in the Pullman, Lakeview, Austin and West Loop neighborhoods.
Unions had tried to force the company to wage and benefit concessions in the city, but dour economic times allowed former Mayor Richard M. Daley to veto such legislation. In 2010, the company launched its Chicago Community Investment Partnership five-year plan to open more than 20 new stores in the city, the news seen as more welcome with promises of about 10,000 new jobs. City leaders have also praised the company for bringing grocery selections to areas seemed as ‘food deserts’ in poorer areas.
Current Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement that it’s a win-win to see new jobs and opportunity for South Side residents. Alderman Howard Brookins agreed. “It was worth the fight,” Brookins said in the statement. “Chicagoans who live on the South Side deserve the same economic opportunities Chicagoans on the North Side take for granted.”
For its part, the Bentonville, AR-based company has tried to provide for the community, hiring more than three-quarters of the staff for the new store from the South Side and hiring minority contractors Powers & Sons and Ujamaa Construction. The Partnership plan also includes endeavors to develop local charitable partnerships worth $20 million.
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