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Ray,IN · 12-30-2018, 08:52 PM

There is a WalMart grocery store in Ft. Myers FL the only has about 100 parking spaces. That is not due to design its due to leased space available-all joining land was already occupied. Their lot is never full either, as there are 4 super Walmarts within 10 miles of that grocery store.
That link is to a concept store, not something in the planning stage. Kinda like concept cars, most of which never get further than the Detroit auto show.

**NLOVNIT** · 12-30-2018, 08:57 PM

They're not concepts. Scroll down that webpage. 1 is complete & 4 are under construction.

I too, don't see the Supercenters going away. They're too profitable.

Lori-

jbrv · 12-30-2018, 09:12 PM

"I too, don't see the Supercenters going away. They're too profitable."

Thats what they said about sears, radio shacks, and big malls 20-30 or so years ago.

daveandcarol · 12-30-2018, 10:06 PM

If you look at the bottom where the 4 projects are listed you can see the rest of the architectural rendering from the top of the page. What looks like parking at the right is actually an adjacent street. The big parking lot is on the left side of the drawing.

Looks like WM is trying to upgrade their image to fit into more upscale communities. Wonder if some of those city rejections are because they saw the "People of Wal Mart" website and assumed that was their primary customer base? (Just joking - but some of those people are scary...)

The concept is sound though. Move those 'outlot' restaurants up next to the main store, get the people closer and they might eat and shop while there (don't have to move the car). Build a (for all practical purposes) nearby detached food court (how many already have a Subway or similar inside the building along with a salon,, nail place, etc.). Provide a nice landscaped park area to encourage shoppers to hang around longer (lots of the US has nice weather for a good part of the year). Get prospective customers off the computer (and Amazon) and physically to the store.

Disclaimer: I've drawn and spec'd my share of retail structures, mall renovations, etc. so I might see this from a different perspective.

Ray,IN · 12-30-2018, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrv

"I too, don't see the Supercenters going away. They're too profitable."

Thats what they said about sears, radio shacks, and big malls 20-30 or so years ago.

Sears was the victim of corporate raiders who intended to reap the profits and gut the company when they bought Sears.https://qz.com/212359/the-hedge-fund...-it-for-parts/

jbrv · 12-31-2018, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Sears was the victim of corporate raiders who intended to reap the profits and gut the company when they bought Sears.https://qz.com/212359/the-hedge-fund...-it-for-parts/

From the article you linked....."Then the wheels started to come off. Besides that fact that just about every one of its retail operations faces growing competition from e-commerce, Sears has also been hurt by Lampert’s idiosyncratic management and organization philosophy, detailed last year by Bloomberg Businessweek."

E-ecommerce and the property tanking in value and as mentioned in the bloomberg artice he had a bad bussiness model. Disclosure. I had a some money invested in sears holdings and made some decent money. I got lucky to bail just as before things started heading south in 2007.

Sears actully was a very early pioneer of e commerce, order online and store pick up but it was managed by a guy like eddie who was not skilled enough in that marketpace to make it profitable.

Large stores where people go shop and wander around and get tires installed and have a subway while picking up new glasses and get a flu shot will stick around (in much fewer numbers) but as the older population who grew up supporting that model gets less and less the online shopping with some small brick and mortar showrooms/pick up locations will be king and there will be many less of thses giant supercenters with the huge parking lots we like to sleep in.

Wundertaker · 12-31-2018, 09:31 AM

If you look closely at those pics, it's painfully obvious that they are attempting to attract an entirely different type of clientele...it's almost funny!!!

Where would they put all the Walmartiens that we've come to expect to see when we traverse the aisles on our way to Automotive for another jug of DEF???