(Reuters) – Walmart Inc is stopping cigarette sales in some U.S. stores after years of debate within the retail giant’s management team about selling tobacco products, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The markets in which cigarettes are being removed from stores include California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter and store visits.
The retailer has rolled out a design with more self-checkout registers and other items such as grab-and-go food or candy near the front of stores in place of Marlboro, Newport and other tobacco products, according to the report.
Walmart did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
