Even when Wal-Mart does something small, it promises to have a big impact.
By introducing its smaller Neighborhood Market grocery stores in Colorado Springs to go with its Supercenters, the world’s largest retailer isn’t just increasing its presence in the region, but is putting its foot down on the throats of competing groceries, local commercial real estate experts say.
Wal-Mart has nine Supercenters in the Pikes Peak region with full lines of groceries to go with general and speciality merchandise; the retailer’s growth over the last 10 to 12 years has propelled it past King Soopers, Safeway and Albertsons to become No. 1 in
grocery sales in the Springs area, some of the experts say.
But with one of its Neighborhood Market stores now open, a second under construction, two more on the drawing board and possibly more on the way, Wal-Mart is putting even more pressure on its competitors — which could force them to more aggressively market themselves while re-examining their locations with the possibility of closing older stores or opening new ones.
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