Walmart Rolls out Express Concept

Walmart Stores Inc. (Bentonville, Ark.) expects to unveil its first Walmart Express store, measuring less than one-tenth of the size of a supercenter, in Gentry, Ark., in June.

The company says the concept was created for small towns that aren’t large enough to support full-sized Walmarts and stores in urban areas where building a supercenter is impractical. More than 15 Walmart Express stores are planned to open in Arkansas, North Carolina and Chicago (its urban prototype) by January 2012.

Walmart executives say if the urban and rural prototypes are successful, they see the potential to build about 350 per year, reports The Mercury News. Most of the Walmart Express stores are expected to have a pharmacy and sell gasoline.