Walmart fights for New York store, will skip Council hearing

Walmart, which is scouting locations for a store in New York City, has begun a multimedia campaign touting the virtues of having a giant non-union store filled with low-cost items.

A new artfully constructed website — www.walmartnyc.com — greets visitors with a pop-up box that invites them to submit their cell phone numbers for “breaking news alerts.” Readers can register to voice their support for the retail behemoth, view flattering videos about the merchandiser and read complimentary testimonials.

At the same time that Walmart has taken its battle to the Twittersphere, a spokesman announced that representatives of the store will not be attending a City Council hearing tomorrow titled “When Walmart Comes to Town: The Effect on Small Businesses and Communities: A Historical and Prospective View.”

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, union leaders and small retailers have been vocal in their opposition to a Walmart opening in the city, saying the company has a poor record in worker rights, contributes to the exploitation of laborers by its suppliers abroad destroys and dismantles community cohesion.

The company is eyeing a site in East New York.