Wal-Mart picks sites with high jobless rates

NEW YORK -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc., seeking to counter opposition to its expansion plans, has selected nine more high-unemployment zones where it plans to open stores in the next two years.

The world's largest retailer, which previously picked the West Side of Chicago as the first of 10 planned zones, will open one store in each of these cities: Indianapolis; East Hills, Pa.; Cleveland; Decatur, Ga.; El Mirage, Ariz.; Landover Hills, Md.; and Portsmouth, Va. It also selected Richmond and Sanger in California.

In April, chief executive H. Lee Scott said Wal-Mart would set up such "jobs and opportunity zones." With its announcement yesterday, Wal-Mart is fulfilling that commitment, according to the company.

More than 15,000 people applied for the 400 jobs available at the Chicago store, opened in September. Other businesses, including a drugstore, a home improvement store, and a coffee shop, have moved to the area.

Part of the initiative involves supporting local businesses with free advertising inside Wal-Mart stores and giving funding to local chambers of commerce.

Wal-Mart is seeking to open locations in densely populated areas to spur growth and has been stymied by unions, lawmakers, and community groups. In the past two years, the retailer has dropped plans for stores on the South Side of Chicago and in Queens, N.Y., after local opposition.