
Construction is under way for the new Walmart in Stone Mountain.
The 148,000-square-foot store is being built on a site near the corner of Memorial Drive and Hairston Road where a Subaru dealership once sat.
Workers began construction and demolishing the car dealership on Aug. 23. Walmart spokesman Bill Wertz said the new store is expected to open in August 2013 if there aren’t any major weather delays.
“We’re excited about the new project and what it brings to the community,” Wertz said. “It will bring jobs, economic growth and tax revenue.”
This is the second time in four years a Walmart is replacing a vacant commercial building in DeKalb. The Decatur Walmart, also on Memorial Drive, opened in March 2008 at the site of the old Avondale Mall.
The new Walmart is expected to employ 250 full-time and part-time associates and generate an estimated $4.9 million in sales taxes. It will have a grocery department, pharmacy and garden center. The store will not feature a gas station or tire/lube center.
Wertz said hiring will begin around the first of the year.
“With every new Walmart, we open a hiring center six months before the store opens,” he said. “We hire all the time and take applications. We encourage everyone to apply.”
Although Walmart is a store for every demographic, Wertz said they do stock merchandise that will appeal to the area.
“We will have local produce and Georgia-made products,” he said. “But it’s a store for every demographic. We don’t target one demographic or income level.”
This will be the sixth Walmart built in DeKalb County. Other than a Walmart being planned for Suburban Plaza in Decatur, Wertz said there currently aren’t any plans for future stores in the county.
“We’re always looking for additional opportunities,” he said. “We’re always improving our current stores as well—improving parking lots, adding sidewalks, et cetera.”
the Big Lots on Panola and Covington.Are they competing with the
Dollar Stores.
Thanks Commissioners. Disgusting.
Also happy to have a WalMart close enough to walk to. I would much rather shop in my local area than the alternatives: drive to Gwinnett County or Avondale Estates.
that their residents don't want?. How many Walmarts in DeKalb County is enough?
They surely don't help the image of the County. Walmart has approximately
3,900 stores in the United States. Walmarts prices are no lower than anyone
elses when compared to a typical families weekly purchases.
What happened to BUY AMERICAN? 92% OF EVERYTHING WALMART
SELLS COMES FROM CHINA.