Walmart is scouring locations in Brooklyn for its first New York City outpost, Crain’s reports. The Arkansas-based retail giant was unsuccessful in its attempts to open a location in Queens and Staten Island earlier this decade. One of the locations under consideration is the 630,000-square-foot Gateway II shopping center off Jamaica Bay, which is currently vacant.
Politicians, unions and residents reacted quickly to the news. ““They will have the fight of their lives,” City Councilman Charles Barron told Crain’s. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 have announced plans to protest this week and took to social networks to register their opposition. The union urged residents to sign a petition via its Twitter account and posted updates to its blog and Facebook account.
Stuart Applebaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union told Crain’s last summer his union was opposed to any Walmart presence. “The reality remains the same,” he said. “Wal-Mart is not welcome in New York City, and it should not try to take advantage of these economic times to slither in.”
Though Walmart can skirt Council approval by securing an as-of-right location, the mega-retailer still needs Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s help to navigate the path ahead, Crain’s reports.
Residents are mixed about a potential Walmart of their own, with some comparing the controversy to the opening of the K-Mart on St. Mark’s Place, which has now become a popular shopping destination for NYU students and millionaires alike.
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