Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

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Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by storewanderer »

I guess Wal Mart Supercenter Vine City was closed last year due to a very small fire. It was unclear if it would reopen. Now it is decided. It will reopen as a Neighborhood Market.

Meanwhile Wal Mart Supercenter Howell Mill will close entirely.
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by Alpha8472 »

The fires were set by shoplifters. Walmart is taking a stand. If shoplifters set fire to a store, they know it is a money losing store and they are just going to cut it off. A Neighborhood Market sells groceries which is of little value to shoplifters. The shoplifters want to steal TVs, electronics, jewelry, high priced items, etc. I doubt shoplifters will bother with produce and baked goods.

However, I have witnessed a shoplifter at a Neighborhood Market in ritzy San Ramon, California steal an entire shopping cart full of groceries. He looked quite well to do and drove a very fancy car.
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by buckguy »

Vine City had a shortlived Publix before the collapse of the Atlanta housing market in 2008 and this was built on its site, which was a mixed use project that never took off, although I think more development has happened in the last decade.

Howell Mill is an odd location for a Walmart and not a great place for retail--redeveloped industrial area near a freeway, but awkwardly sited---there's really no one nearby on 2 sides and relatively affluent areas on the other sides. I used to buy deck stain in that area and that kind of business was better suited to the location than any kind of mainstream retail. It's near a very awkward freeway junction, so the freeway adjacency is actually a liability.
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

I think Walmart is #3 in Atlanta, behind Kroger and Publix.
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by arizonaguy »

buckguy wrote: January 27th, 2023, 2:36 pm Vine City had a shortlived Publix before the collapse of the Atlanta housing market in 2008 and this was built on its site, which was a mixed use project that never took off, although I think more development has happened in the last decade.

Howell Mill is an odd location for a Walmart and not a great place for retail--redeveloped industrial area near a freeway, but awkwardly sited---there's really no one nearby on 2 sides and relatively affluent areas on the other sides. I used to buy deck stain in that area and that kind of business was better suited to the location than any kind of mainstream retail. It's near a very awkward freeway junction, so the freeway adjacency is actually a liability.
I'm curious if the Vine City store was built with some sort of tax incentives which require Walmart to keep (at least a supermarket) on site for a certain period of time. This seems like it would've been the type of site to have such an agreement. If it is the Neighborhood Market might be short lived until that agreement ends.
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by storewanderer »

buckguy wrote: January 27th, 2023, 2:36 pm Vine City had a shortlived Publix before the collapse of the Atlanta housing market in 2008 and this was built on its site, which was a mixed use project that never took off, although I think more development has happened in the last decade.

Howell Mill is an odd location for a Walmart and not a great place for retail--redeveloped industrial area near a freeway, but awkwardly sited---there's really no one nearby on 2 sides and relatively affluent areas on the other sides. I used to buy deck stain in that area and that kind of business was better suited to the location than any kind of mainstream retail. It's near a very awkward freeway junction, so the freeway adjacency is actually a liability.
Strange part is both stores appear somewhat recently refreshed, they don't have the latest interior, but don't have their original interior either. It will be interesting to see how much money they spend on the Neighborhood Market conversion. They could put a wall up and basically be done, just use front restrooms, etc. I guess pharmacy will need to be moved.

I notice a remodel does not mean anything when it comes to a Wal Mart being closed.

Could either of these make sense as dark stores for e-commerce?
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by Alpha8472 »

They could have the Neighborhood Market and a Pickup Counter that fulfills everything that a Supercenter has at the counter. They could keep all of the merchandise behind the wall and have a dark store with all the shelves and aisles intact.

It could be sort of like a Best Catalog store.
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by arizonaguy »

storewanderer wrote: January 27th, 2023, 8:04 pm
buckguy wrote: January 27th, 2023, 2:36 pm Vine City had a shortlived Publix before the collapse of the Atlanta housing market in 2008 and this was built on its site, which was a mixed use project that never took off, although I think more development has happened in the last decade.

Howell Mill is an odd location for a Walmart and not a great place for retail--redeveloped industrial area near a freeway, but awkwardly sited---there's really no one nearby on 2 sides and relatively affluent areas on the other sides. I used to buy deck stain in that area and that kind of business was better suited to the location than any kind of mainstream retail. It's near a very awkward freeway junction, so the freeway adjacency is actually a liability.
Strange part is both stores appear somewhat recently refreshed, they don't have the latest interior, but don't have their original interior either. It will be interesting to see how much money they spend on the Neighborhood Market conversion. They could put a wall up and basically be done, just use front restrooms, etc. I guess pharmacy will need to be moved.

I notice a remodel does not mean anything when it comes to a Wal Mart being closed.

Could either of these make sense as dark stores for e-commerce?
I don't understand Walmart's remodeling strategy at all.

There are 2 Neighborhood Market stores somewhat near me in Arizona that still have the pre-2008 Walmart logo (in Green) and haven't received an interior renovation since they opened (about 20 years ago) yet these stores are still operating. Others built during the same timeframe have received multiple renovations since opening. With some chains it seems that lack of renovations is tied to closures but Walmart doesn't always operate that way (it's closed several recently remodeled stores and keeps unmodeled stores open even after several waves of closures).
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by mjhale »

I could understand Walmart not putting much into a store that just breaks even but is still in decent shape. However when they let a very busy Supercenter go with no renovations for 10+ years it seems like they don't care about the store environment as long as the place is printing $$$ for them. The Sterling, VA Walmart finished its Supercenter expansion in late 2009. Walmart just finished remodeling (and downsizing) the store to the current interior. Between 2009 and the most recent remodel there were no remodels - that is 14 years. In that time the store just started to look dirty and dated. I know this isn't anything new for a Walmart. However I'd think they would spend some $$$ on their high performing stores. The new build/relocation store at the Manassas Mall opened around the time of the Sterling store's conversion. It still has the original Project Impact interior it opened with. At least that store looks half way decent and doesn't need a remodel as badly as Sterling did.
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Re: Wal Mart Atlanta area closure

Post by Alpha8472 »

Some of those unremodeled stores were probably slated for closure, but at the last minute there might have been a deal to give the store free rent for a period of time or reduced rent if the store stayed open.

There is one Walmart in Pleasanton, California that had some minor remodels, but still kept checkstands from almost 20 years ago or more. The store does so little business that it looks like it is teetering on closure.
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