Photo: Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Keep It Brief
Walmart Inc. plans to reopen the El Paso store where a gunman killed 22 people, but it will first entirely renovate the interior and add an on-site memorial.
The Plan
The retailer says it will gut the store, adding new flooring, fixtures and merchandise, a process that is expected to take three or four months. The location could reopen in November or December ahead of the holidays.
Walmart plans to build a permanent memorial to remember the victims and to recognize the relationship between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, just across the border. The suspect in the shooting told investigators that he targeted Mexicans. The memorial will be designed with input from employees and the community, Mr. Hargrove said, and will celebrate the city’s strength.
The Pressure
In the aftermath of the shooting, Walmart has also faced new, stepped-up pressure from some employees and gun activists to stop selling firearms. Chief Executive Doug McMillon reiterated a previous statement last week that the company will “strive to use these experiences to identify additional actions we can take to strengthen our processes, improve our technology and create an even safer environment in our stores. We’re also thinking through the broader issues related to gun violence and things we should do to help create safer communities.”
Source: WSJ
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