A Walmart-led effort to allow more retailers to sell liquor in Texas is off the table for now.
Walmart has voluntarily withdrawn a lawsuit it filed last summer in Austin challenging a section of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code that prohibits publicly traded retailers from owning liquor stores.
It was the second time Walmart has battled the Texas law in the courts. It originally filed a lawsuit in 2015 that it won three years later. That victory was reversed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019.
Walmart is allowed to sell liquor in more than 30 states and a spokeswoman said it isn’t giving up on its efforts in Texas. Walmart has said it wants to carve out spaces in its stores with separate entrances for liquor sales.
“We will continue to look for ways to serve our customers in Texas and conveniently provide them with the products they want,” said Lauren Willis, Walmart spokeswoman in Texas.
