Walmart could be lining up a spot in east Charlotte for its second Neighborhood Market, following on the heels of the concept's debut here late last year.
The city's first Walmart Neighborhood Market is gearing up for a grand opening on Independence Boulevard.
But an inquisitive reader let me know that a 4.72 acre site near Albemarle Road and East W.T. Harris Boulevard was acquired by Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust in October (Deed here, Java required). Property records show the land was purchased for $1.35 million. Wal-Mart also purchased the adjacent 1.7 acre parcel for $1.45 million.
The spot used to be the site of a movie theater, but that was demolished in 2006. The parcels appear to be too small to be a Walmart Supercenter, but could be the right size for a Neighborhood Market, which are about the size of a traditional supermarket.
Perhaps the most interesting detail, this same inquisitive reader pointed out, is that the Neighborhood Market on Independence Boulevard is store #4149. Property records list the parcel on East W.T. Harris as "c/o Wal-Mart's Property Tax Department (#4148-00)." And a project listed online at the Mecklenburg building permit website shows "Charlotte (Harris), NC #4148" for the address, though no permits have been issued yet.
So, you can believe in coincidences, or believe the successive numbers (4148 and 4149) likely indicate a project linked to the existing Neighborhood Market.
Walmart didn't respond to a question about whether the land they've acquired will be a new Neighborhood Market site. They currently have about 200 Neighborhood Markets nationwide, and are looking to expand the number of stores. Expanding the number of grocery stores in Charlotte could make sense for Walmart, as the company has been aggressively targeting Harris Teeter in its price comparison ads.
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