Report: Walmart to halt sales of Confederate-flag related merchandise

Walmart (WMT) will reportedly pull items displaying the Confederate flag, according to a report late Monday.

CNNMoney cited the world's biggest retailer as saying it "never want(s) to offend anyone with the products that we offer."

The move comes after a 21-year old assailant gunned down nine people at a historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina. The state has a Confederate flag hanging at its capitol building, something many have said is a reminder of racially-charged bigotry in the U.S.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Monday called for the flag's removal, saying, "it's time to move the flag from the Capitol grounds."

A Walmart spokesperson told CNNMoney it has "taken steps to remove all items promoting the confederate flag from our assortment -- whether in our stores or on our web site."

The spokesperson added the firm has "a process in place to help lead us to the right decisions when it comes to the merchandise we sell. Still, at times, items make their way into our assortment improperly -- this is one of those instances."

The firm didn't immediately respond to Yahoo Finance requests for comment on the matter.