NEW YORK — It’s still “too early to tell” what pandemic-related changes in consumer behavior will persist with the return to normalcy, Walmart U.S. president and chief executive officer John Furner said last month.

Interviewed by National Retail Federation president and CEO Matthew Shay during NRF’s Retail Converge Conference, Furner acknowledged that Walmart experienced an accelerated pace of change in the e-commerce space, with the business more than doubling in two years. But he said digital shopping will hardly spell the end of brick-and-mortar sales. While there will be “some fluctuations,” he said the “underlying trend” is a shift to a combination of in-store and online shopping with pickup at stores and home delivery.

“What we try to think about is how we’re positioned to be able to do anything a customer needs to do at any time,” Furner said. “And that’s really the strength of our positioning of Walmart. We’ve got a store footprint that’s about 4,700 locations. Our supply chain is able to serve fulfillment centers and stores. Stores are now acting not only as a store, but a fulfillment center in some ways, because we’re able to pick orders for pickup, and we’re able to pick orders for delivery for Walmart+ members, and we’re able to pick orders in stores for e-commerce.”

He added that the discounter is positioned to satisfy customers who are looking for speedy delivery, noting that he recently placed a grocery order using Walmart Express at 10 a.m. and it showed up at his front door at 11:11 a.m. And that capability works alongside a store network with convenient locations and friendly associates.

“So we’re going to be really flexible for the customer and whatever the customer situation is,” he said. “We think we can be flexible enough that we can be there for any change in the ­environment.”

He concluded by addressing the need to be forward-looking without getting too far ahead of customers. “Someone told me once that it’s important in business to always respect the past, manage the present and build for the future. You have to do all three of those at the same time.”

Furner said that adage came to mind when he was talking recently with the mayor of Little Rock, Ark. Frank Scott Jr. is the city’s first African American mayor and someone who has been balancing a respect for the Arkansas capital’s long history with a desire to take advantage of future growth opportunities. Scott said to “never let nostalgia become the enemy of vision,” and Furner said he thought that was a good way to think about Walmart, which has a history, a culture and a set of values to which it remains committed.

“Walmart’s values will never change, just like being at the everyday-low price will never change for us. But we have to keep building and growing for what’s coming in the future.”