Fifth Springfield Neighborhood Market opens tomorrow

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is slated to open its fifth Springfield Neighborhood tomorrow. The store also marks the 500th Neighborhood Market opened by the megaretailer.

The city of Springfield in June gave the green light for the $2.9 million, roughly 42,000-square-foot store at East Sunshine Street and Blackman Road. The smaller Wal-Mart markets offer a full line of groceries – produce, frozen foods, meat and dairy products and organic items – as well as a pharmacy and general merchandise including health and beauty products, pet supplies and paper goods, according to a news release.

Missouri Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, and Springfield Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Seifried are slated to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 7. During the conference, Wal-Mart Foundation officials will present $13,000 in grants to local community groups, including the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield and Crosslines of Springfield.

The store will employ about 95 full- and part-time workers under manager Jim Russell.

Wal-Mart, which claims 250 million customers at its 11,202 stores in 27 countries and websites in 11 countries, posted fiscal 2014 sales of over $473 billion and employs over 2 million, according to the release.

A proposed Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market along South Campbell Avenue and Grand Street appears to have been given the OK late last year after facing legal opposition, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.