![]() So, too, did the small campaign to derail the plans of the retail chain that famously promises low prices every day. And while Wal-Mart's interest in the former Mall of Memphis site already has generated steady news coverage, Oakland's Wal-Mart store - which appears definitely on the way - has gone virtually unnoticed outside the town. Oakland, nestled on the western edge of Fayette County, is at the heart of Fayette's commercial growth. Census data put the town's population at 2,500 people, it actually is between 3,100 and 6,000, according to the Oakland Chamber of Commerce. Oakland Mayor Bill Mullins has said the Wal-Mart that's on the way in Oakland, which is considered the fastest-growing municipality in Tennessee, will be the king of the hill among the town's commercial developments. "They are far enough along that there are documents involved, but there is nothing firm that obligates Wal-Mart yet." "It's still months away before things really get firmed up," said Scott Barton, vice president of retail services at CB Richard Ellis. We have no definite moves yet, and we've put no paper down on the property."ĭespite the giddiness with which Wal-Mart's intentions were received - commercial real estate broker Gary Myers was quoted as saying the announcement was "big news" - the company probably won't have anything definite to say about its plans at that site for at least several more months. "However, all I can say (about the Mall of Memphis site) is that we're looking at it as a potential possibility. "We're in the business of opening stores, not closing stores," he said. That announcement apparently raised some concern that a nearby Wal-Mart in the Delta Square shopping center on American Way might be closed or moved to keep the area from being saturated.īut Dennis Alpert, Wal-Mart's senior manager of public affairs for state and local government relations, reiterated this week that both stores - if one is indeed built on the Mall of Memphis site - could and most likely will operate together. In September, the Bentonville, Ark.-based chain confirmed it is under contract to buy a slice of the 95-acre site, which sits at the corner of Perkins Road and Interstate 240. Things appear to be moving slower in the heart of Memphis, where a company representative said the retailer could take anywhere from four weeks to four years to make a commitment on its stated interest in the former Mall of Memphis site. Meanwhile, the town of Covington in Tipton County last week celebrated the grand opening of a nearly 204,000-square-foot Wal-Mart off U.S. Motorists there are greeted with a "Coming Soon - Wal-Mart Super Center" sign along U.S. ![]() ![]() To use one example, the retail giant's newly opened, soon-to-come and still-up-in-the-air store locations in the metropolitan area all have left conspicuous ripples in the retail real estate pond.Īs of this week, a new Wal-Mart Supercenter appears poised to launch in Oakland, the town of about 3,100 people just outside Memphis in Fayette County. In Memphis, answers to the question "What hath Wal-Mart wrought?" are about as numerous as the amount of shelves the world's largest retailer keeps stocked with its famously deep-discounted merchandise. ![]() The company is opening two new supercenters in the greater metro area, with another possibly on the way for the old Mall of Memphis site. ![]() BRISK BUSINESS: Shown here is the average flow at a Wal-Mart distribution facility. ![]()
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