Walmart, Kmart bans items with Confederate flag

US retail giant Walmart says it is banning merchandise that features the Confederate flag in its stores and website.

The Confederate flag flies near the South Carolina Statehouse, Friday, June 19, 2015. (AAP) Source: FR155191 AP

US retail chain Walmart says it will stop selling merchandise with the Confederate flag, CNN reports.

"We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer. We have taken steps to remove all items promoting the Confederate flag from our assortment - whether in our stores or on our website," Walmart spokesman Brian Nick tells CNN.

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, was responding to a query from CNN.

Sears Holdings, which operates Kmart and department store Sears, has also banned products featuring the confederate flag. 

The announcement follows the mass shooting of nine people at a black church in Charleston last week.

Earlier, the governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, called for the removal of the controversial Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol, joining other civic leaders.