KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Two and a half weeks ago when Walmart brought singer Pitbull to Kodiak, some thought it might have been a good time to drop some more news on the town – the expansion of the local store into what the corporation calls a "Super Center."
However Sarah Spencer, the director of Corporate Communications for Walmart in Arkansas, told KMXT in an e-mail that the corporation does not have plans for a Super Center on the property it has acquired next door to their Kodiak store.
"As for the property," Spencer said, "we do not have any expansion plans at this time."
She did not say why the company bought it if it had no plans for expansion.
The property in question is four acres on the eastern property line of the seven-acres the current store occupies. It’s been long rumored Walmart might expand its store here into a Super Center, with a complete grocery offering. The purchase of the land and a recent visit by Walmart executives has renewed the speculation.
The current store occupies about 67,000 square feet, while a Walmart Super Center can be more than double that size.
The four-acre lot, bounded by Island Lake Road, has an assessed value, according to borough records, of $1.5-million, though it is unknown how much Walmart paid Brechan Enterprises for the property.
