Supercenter capital of the world?

When the Wal-Mart Super-center at 3520 W. Sunshine opened March 14, it became Springfield's third supercenter, the most of any city in Missouri.

According to Wal-Mart spokesman Tom Williams, there are two supercenters within Kansas City's city limits and none in St. Louis.

Why so many here?

"Springfield is a very significant area in the state of Missouri," Williams said. "We've had some success in Springfield. When we're in an area where we've been successful ... we're always tempted to grow."

And the supercenter growth didn't stop with the new store on Sunshine. Wal-Mart's general merchandise store at South Campbell and Walnut Lawn began renovations March 22 for its conversion into a supercenter. Springfield's fourth supercenter will be in operation by March 2002.

Williams said that national expansion plans for 2001 include 170 to 180 new Supercenters, the bulk of which are in existing Wal-Mart markets. Relocation or expansion of existing discount stores will account for 100 to 110 of those supercenters, he added.

"There has been a great acceptance and interest in the supercenter format, so we do introduce it in territories where we already are," Williams said. "The supercenter expansion has really accelerated in the last few years."

The total number of Wal-Mart Supercenters has reached 910, compared to 1,724 general merchandise stores. And of the 33 Wal-Mart stores that opened on the same day as Springfield's newest store, 29 were super-centers.

A general merchandise store on West Sunshine, across the street from the new supercenter, had served west Springfield since 1977, but according to store manager John Ruder, run-down conditions and competition from the north and south supercenters caused it to lose business.

The company considered merging the store with Republic's Wal-Mart, "but because of a letter-writing campaign from (customers at) this store and from Republic, that was scrapped, and they decided to keep each store and make them super-centers," Ruder said. He added that Republic's supercenter opens in March.

That decision nearly tripled the size of Ruder's store. He now runs the 159,000-square-foot supercenter and has around 400 employees, up from 150.

"We were aware of the need and the desire for a (supercenter) location on the west side of town ... but we didn't realize how big a need there actually was until we opened," Ruder said. "It's beaten all of the forecasts that we estimated for this end of town. We've been pleasantly surprised."

The new supercenter features a Bank Midwest branch, Tire & Lube Express, hair salon, optician, indoor/outdoor garden center, one-hour photo lab, full-service pharmacy and a food center. Ruder said a Murphy Oil gas station is going into the parking lot, and a strip center, which still has a corner lot available, is being developed on the opposite end of the lot.

"The response has been great," he said. "We would hope that the success brings other businesses out."

Ruder said he feels this store can be the stepping stone to build up the commercial community in that area of Springfield.

"There is huge potential out here on this side of town," he said. "But it just takes the first person to take that step."

While the store targets residents of west Springfield and Battlefield, Ruder said he thinks it also will ease some of the traffic problems at the south-side supercenter.

"To shop (there) is extremely difficult because they're just so busy," Ruder said. "Nobody likes to lose business, that store manager certainly doesn't, but it is some relief ... it will be better for the community if we could spread it out. It's almost like if you build it, they will come,' and if you run it right, they'll come."