The Walmart store at The District at Howell Mill is now permanently closed, according to a release from the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer. Walmart opened its 150,000 square foot store at the roughly 16 acre project in 2006 and served as its anchor alongside junior anchors including TJ Maxx, Office Depot, ULTA, and HomeGoods, among others. Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises developed the center but in 2007 sold the majority of their interest in it.
The Walmart had been "temporarily closed" since late this past December due to what was described a small fire in the men's underwear section. The fire was reportedly isolated to the one department and was extinguished by employees before the fire department arrived on site. Despite the limited damage, the company has seemingly in short order opted to shutter the store, leaving many to question whether it was something the retailer was already considering.
A little more than five miles away, another Walmart on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive also suffered damage from a reportedly intentionally set fire in December. Here, however, where community leaders feared the retailer would shutter the store, the company has decided to reopen the store, but under its smaller format "Neighborhood Market" banner which is primarily a grocery store. The current Walmart, which opened in 2013, replaced a Publix which has previously shuttered on the site. The Walmart is currently 73,000 square feet whereas a typical Neighborhood Market is 35,000 to 45,000 square feet. It's likely that Walmart will erect a demising wall and look to backfill its excess space to another business or service.
The company indicated that renovation plans are already underway but did not provide a reopening timetable.
On Howell Mill, where "Walmart does not have the ability to repurpose the Howell Mill Road location due to site restrictions," the company plans to work with "Mayor Dickens and his office to find a new use or business for the site."
There are not many 150,000 square foot businesses expanding these days and the fact that the Walmart lacks street visibility given its nearly subterranean location suggests that potential replacements will be few and far between. Home Depot and Costco were both to have previously opened stores at 17th and Northside, but the development they were to be part of fell apart more than decade ago, and even a subsequently planned Kroger on the site is no longer moving forward.
Are you surprised to see Walmart permanently close their Howell Mill Road store? What would you like to see open in the now former Walmart space? Are you thrilled to see Walmart keeping their Vine City store open?
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