Walmart to Reopen El Paso Store Months After Shooting
August 22 2019 - 4:36PM
Dow Jones News
By Chip Cutter
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 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.
Since a lone gunman opened fire in the store on Aug. 3, Walmart
executives have visited El Paso and the company has talked with
employees and community leaders about the future of the store,
which employs about 400 people. Many employees expressed an
interest in returning to work in the same location, Walmart
spokesman Randy Hargrove said.
"Our associates have a very strong connection to their store,"
Mr. Hargrove said. "They have not wavered in their collective
opinion that reopening the store -- and reopening it there -- is
important to them."
The company is still finalizing the details of the renovation,
and hasn't disclosed its cost.
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 company says it communicated plans to El Paso Mayor Dee
Margo and other city officials on Wednesday. Mr. Margo didn't
immediately return a request for comment.
Walmart says it will continue providing counseling services to
employees in El Paso. About 93% of the store employees have found
work at other Walmart locations. Others have said they need more
time to process the events before returning to their jobs.
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."
Write to Chip Cutter at chip.cutter@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 22, 2019 16:21 ET (20:21 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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