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Walmart Stores Inc. opened the doors of its first Walmart Express store on the south side of Chicago on July 27. The location is the first of five Express stores planned in the Windy City, which is a test market for the concept that averages 10,000 to 15,000 square feet and carries groceries, pharmacy, and health and beauty items.

The other Chicago Express stores will be located at Broadway and Addison streets in Wrigleyville, slated to open later in 2011; at South Western Avenue and West 71st Street, slated to open in early 2012; at Chicago Avenue and Franklin Street, slated to open in spring 2012; and a to-be-determined location, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Richfield, N.C., and Walmart’s home state, Arkansas, are also test markets for the Walmart Express format. The Bentonville-based company plans to build five Express stores in each market.

In other news, Walmart also recently broke ground on a Chatham Supercenter, located at 83rd Street and Stewart Avenue in Chicago, the company noted.

The company plans to build two Walmart Supercenters and three Walmart Markets in Chicago as part of its “Chicago Community Investment Partnership,” a five-year plan to open several dozen stores, create approximately 10,000 jobs and 2,000 unionized construction jobs, generate more than $500 million in sales and property taxes, and develop charitable partnerships worth $20 million. The mega-retailer revealed the plan in June 2010.

Source: Convenience Store News