By Reuters.com
© REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Sign of Walmart is pictured at one of their stores in Monterrey
The Chilean government said on Wednesday it had approved the construction of a distribution center for Walmart in its capital Santiago, an investment of about $180 million.
The project has been met with resistance by some community members and local officials concerned about pollution, noise and traffic in San Bernardo, the area in Santiago where Walmart plans to build the center.
The mayor of San Bernardo, Nora Cuevas, said she would consider ways to halt the plan after the project was approved unanimously by a group of ministers.
Walmart Chile, the company's Chilean subsidiary, operates 380 stores in the South American country, largely under the Lider brand. Earlier in September, Walmart reached a deal to buy Latin American food delivery service Cornershop Inc, which operates in Mexico and Chile, for $225 million.
(Reporting by Natalia Ramos, writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
