The smallest Walmart in the country is expected to be built this spring on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, according to the company.
The initiative is called Walmart on Campus and is a "test format that focuses on pharmacy, basic grocery, health and beauty aids and general merchandise products," said Steven Restivo, senior director for community affairs with Walmart. The Georgia Tech store is expected to be 2,500 square feet, according to an article in Marketplace. That's the minimum for this concept store, which Restivo said ranges to 5,000 square feet.
Walmart Express stores are 15,000 square feet, Neighborhood Markets average 40,000 square feet, and the largest stores reach 150,000 square feet, according to the company.
The Marketplace article reported that Walmart pitched the idea to Georgia Tech last year and that it would occupy a space at 86 Fifth St. in Atlanta.
The first and only Walmart on Campus opened in 2011 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, about 30 miles south of the retailer's headquarters.
In addition to the above services, Restivo said the Walmart on Campus would provide check cashing and bill pay, available in-store.
He did not say whether typical college gear would be available in the Ga. Tech store. And he certainly didn't say if any University of Georgia gear would be available.
Mike Benzie has been a reporter and editor for several major news organizations in the Southeast, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Greenville News, and the Asheville Citizen-Times.