Walmart closures show that small business, not big box stores, are the answer for food deserts

The Chatham Supercenter, the Walmart Health center, and the Walmart Academy, located at 84th Street and South Stewart Avenue in the Chatham neighborhood, is one of 4 Walmart locations closing by April 16. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time)

Just before the reopening of several Walmart stores that were damaged in the unrest following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, President and CEO Doug McMillon vowed “Walmart’s commitment to Chicago remains strong. We are not going anywhere.”

That promise was broken last week when the retailer, saying Walmart’s Chicago stores have been unprofitable since the mega-retailer fought to get its foothold in town, announced the unexpected, virtually immediate closure of four stores in Chatham, Kenwood, Little Village and Lake View.