All ransacked Walmart stores in Chicago to reopen, most by end of July

All Chicago Walmart stores will reopen, most within a month, the company announced Friday.

All but one of the stores had been ransacked and severely damaged during civil unrest triggered by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

It had been unclear whether Walmart would reopen those stores, though Mayor Lori Lightfoot and various members of the City Council had been urging them to do so.

“Like other businesses, some of our stores were damaged and, in order to protect our associates and customers, we temporarily closed many of our locations across the country,” Doug McMillon, Walmart’s CEO, said in a statement. “We have reflected on recent events and decided we want to stay. And not just stay, but expand our investment.”

That expanded investment includes adding Walmart Health facilities at existing stores in Austin and Chatham to provide affordable health care to customers. It also will create a Walmart Academy to support employee development. Walmart also said it will partner with local organizations and community leaders to expand job opportunities.

The Pullman Walmart Supercenter at 10900 S. Doty Ave. reopened June 9.

Stores in Lake View, Lawndale, Grand Boulevard, Auburn Gresham and Hermosa will reopen by the end of July. The Austin and Chatham stores will reopen by the end of the year.

“As a company, we are also investing resources and developing strategies to increase fairness, equity and justice in aspects of everyday life,” McMillon said. “Mayor Lightfoot has talked about the need for businesses not to disappear. Walmart’s commitment to Chicago remains strong. We are not going anywhere.”

Roughly 1,600 Walmart employees will be retained. The decision to stay signifies a $35 million to $50 million commitment to Chicago, according to a statement issued by the mayor’s office.

“We are extremely grateful that Walmart is not only recommitting to our city by reopening all of its Chicago locations, but also expanding its investments even further through innovative programming and services,” Lightfoot said in the statement. “In doing so, they are reaffirming that Chicago’s communities are a great place to invest and grow, and I personally look forward to continuing our partnership and collaboration on these efforts in the months and years ahead.”