Construction under way on Supercenter

Business Today

DESLOGE - Ground was broken July 25 to start construction on the new Wal-Mart Supercenter in St. Francois County. The Supercenter will be built directly behind the existing store, which will be demolished and replaced with a parking lot.

The general contractor is W.S. Bowlware Construction Inc. of Oklahoma City, Okla. The firm is one of several that Wal-Mart has used at other Supercenter sites across the country.

According to Mark Westbrook, Desloge Wal-Mart's general manager, construction of the new store is expected to be complete in April 2003.

Westbrook said the new store will cover 187,000 square feet. It will be state-of-the-art and more energy efficient than the older-style Wal-Mart Supercenters.

Among the features of the new store are energy-efficient lights that determine the outside light level and adjust the inside lighting accordingly.

The new Supercenter in Desloge will be one of more than 180 scheduled for construction in 2003. Of those about 115 will be relocation projects, and about 65 stores will be built at new locations.

Last year, Wal-Mart had $191 billion in sales in the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2001. The company employs more than 1 million people worldwide at nearly 3,500 facilities in the United States and more than 1,000 facilities in other countries.

Wal-Mart has more than 500 stores in Mexico, almost 200 in Canada and 20 in China.