Walmart Inc. temporarily closed hundreds of stores Sunday as rioting and looting continued in cities across the country. Other retailers including Target, CVS and Apple also closed stores or reduced hours for safety reasons during protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd of Minneapolis last week.
Police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was charged with murder Friday in connection with the May 25 death of Floyd, who was black. The incident has sparked several days of nationwide protests that have turned violent in some cities.
Walmart said it closed hundreds of stores late Sunday afternoon to protect employees and customers, and that several dozen stores were closed all day Sunday because of damage from protests.
In a note to employees Friday, Walmart President and Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon said the company will continue to prioritize the safety of its workers and customers as it monitors events unfolding in Minneapolis.
"Walmart is an inclusive company," McMillon said. "That is fundamental to our values and our culture. We remain committed to those principles."
The Bentonville-based retailer has more than 5,000 stores and members-only clubs in the U.S. and employs about 1.5 million workers.
Target Corp., which is based in Minneapolis, said in a news release Sunday that it has closed five stores "until further notice" -- in Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Oakland, Calif. Target also has reportedly adjusted hours at about 200 of its 1,900 stores.
Target plans to rebuild another Minneapolis store near where Floyd died that was destroyed in the rioting. That store, which employs about 200 workers, is expected to reopen later this year, the company said.
In addition, Target is giving 14 days' full pay and benefits to its employees at the closed stores as well as helping them find positions in stores still open. The company said it is also working with area nonprofits to provide first aid supplies, water, food and other essentials to Minneapolis/St. Paul residents in the hardest-hit neighborhoods.
CVS Health didn't disclose how many stores it closed but said they were in more than 20 states and the District of Columbia. The company said pharmacies at closed stores will send customers to others nearby to get their prescriptions filled.
Larry Merlo, CVS Health's chief executive, said in a note to employees Monday that the company's 300,000 employees make up a diverse community, "and that diversity is one of our key strengths."
"We will continue to uphold the commitment of mutual respect in everything we do," Merlo said. "Discrimination and intolerance have no place in our business and will not be permitted in any form."
Apple said it decided to keep some of its stores closed Sunday. It didn't say how many were affected.
Matthew Shay, president and chief executive of the National Retail Federation, said in a statement Monday that while communities must stand together to end racial injustice, "the actions of a few are impacting not just stores, but also putting at risk the people who work and shop there."
"We urge people to stop looting and destruction under the name of protest," Shay said. "It denies access to goods, services and jobs for those who need help the most, and takes focus away from the conversation we must have if we are to heal these wounds."
Information for this article was contributed by Dee-Ann Durbin of The Associated Press.
Business on 06/02/2020