Wal-Mart Wants New York City

Wal-Mart's years-long battle to gain a foothold in New York City has been ramped up a notch with their hiring of Mayor Bloomberg's former campaign manager, who will battle unions and community groups before the City Council next month.

Steven Restivo, a spokesman for the Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., told The New York Times in its online edition Sunday that the retailer is looking at sites throughout the city. "There is a business case to be made for our growth in large cities across the country," Restivo said. "We know we have customers there, and we know we want to make access to our brand more convenient." The company is looking at parcels in all five boroughs, including some far smaller than what it typically seeks for its stores, he said. Restivo said the company could help with the city's unemployment problems, and is focusing its real estate search on low-income neighborhoods where there is a lack of access to fresh food.

Earlier this year several other big-box retailers came to Manhattan with the opening of Harlem's East River Mall, which hosts Target and Costco.