Walmart is removing tobacco products from select locations, including some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Journal attributed the development to people familiar with the matter, who said tension has grown around tobacco products as Walmart works to become a larger player in the healthcare industry. The shift to end tobacco sales follows years of internal debate at the retailer, which has more than 4,700 stores nationwide.
Top Walmart executives wanted to start moving out of the category in some locations before the COVID-19 pandemic, and CEO Doug McMillon challenged other executives to find a way to stop selling tobacco without demanding that the company do so, according to the report. Other top executives argued Walmart should not morally police shoppers, adding that cigarettes are legal products with customer demand.
A Walmart spokesperson told the Journal that Walmart is not halting all tobacco sales but removing products from select locations where the company has decided to use space for a different purpose, such as self-checkout registers or grab-and-go food. The Journal reports that cigarettes are being removed in some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico, according to sources and store visits. Walmart halted e-cigarette sales in 2019.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the U.S., according to the CDC.
Read the Journal's report in full here.