Can a Walmart Grow in Brooklyn?

Walmarts can be found all across the U.S., but you won’t find a single store in the five boroughs of New York City. Five years ago, the company was thwarted in its attempts to get a foothold in the biggest city in America. Now the company is back with new ideas on how to win in the Big Apple.

For example, on the drawing board is a smaller Super Center format that’s just80,000 square feet and does not include categories such as lawn and garden centers.

Another idea is a 3,500-square-foot store called Walmart on Campus, which will open at the University of Arkansas next month, replacing a university-run pharmacy. The company will open 30 to 40 small- to medium-sized stores next year.

Over the years, New York City has resisted Walmart’s advances. Still, Walmart SuperCenters and Sam’s Clubs ring New York City, and the retailer said it found that New York City residents spend $165 million annually in those stores, with the second-highest dollar amount spent coming from Manhattan.

As Walmart tries to make headway in New York, several competitors such as Target Corp. have unveiled stores in Harlem, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. City Council speaker Christine Quinn, long an opponent of Wal-Mart in New York City, scheduled in December a public meeting to discuss the retailer’s interest in a site at the proposed Gateway II shopping center expansion in the Spring Creek section of Brooklyn. Quinn postponed the meeting until Jan. 12 when she learned how many people wanted to attend.

Quinn says she doesn’t want Walmart in New York City, insisting it hasthe worst record on gender discrimination lawsuits. At the same time, she complained that Walmart’s labor practices are in no way near the standards of New York City, noting that supermarket workers get time-and-a-half in New York City on Sunday.