Walmart plans to close half its stores in Chicago, a reversal of the retail giant’s high-profile commitment in 2020 to expand in the city as part of its corporate racial justice initiative in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police.

Walmart announced Tuesday that next week it will close four poor-performing stores out of the eight it operates in Chicago. Three of the locations are located in Chicago’s South and West Side neighborhoods, which are predominantly minority and have long struggled with grocery and retail access. One of the stores is in Chicago’s North Side, which is predominantly White and more affluent.

The announcement comes after Walmart highlighted its efforts in Chicago as a “critical part” of its broader $100 million pledge to advancing racial equity in 2020.

“Chicago will be an example of what’s possible when we leverage business, government and community organizations for the good of all,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in 2021.

It also follows more than a decade of intense efforts by Chicago political leaders to draw Walmart and other chains to underserved areas to spur economic development.

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