Wal-Mart buys Four Seasons Mall
Wal-Mart buys Four Seasons Mall in Plymouth
Excerpts:
Wal-Mart now owns the Four Seasons Mall in Plymouth.
The retail giant closed on the property located near Rockford Road and Highway 169 Nov. 30, according to Lisa Nelson, a senior manager of public affairs for Wal-Mart.
“We would like to develop the property and we look forward to working with the community in developing the property to meet the community's needs,” Nelson said.
Wal-Mart has not submitted an application, said Plymouth Community Development Director Steve Juetten. However, the company paid for a city traffic study that considered the impact of an approximately 148,500-square-foot Wal-Mart store on the site.
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Nelson shed some light on what the company is considering and confirmed the size of nearly 150,000 square feet.
“It will be a full-service Wal-Mart store that provides grocery, pharmacy and all the components customers have come to expect in a Wal-Mart,” she said. “It's a chance to invest in jobs and growth opportunities to help revitalize an area that is somewhat distressed.”
Nelson said she did not know if her company is allowing tenants of the Four Seasons Mall to remain at the location while Wal-Mart works on planning for a new store.
A Plymouth Wal-Mart would have more in common with a new store in Bloomington than an older store in Brooklyn Park, she said. The company would use sustainable building techniques, and the store could include a mix of organic products, better flooring and a nicer exterior than Plymouth residents may expect, Nelson said.
“There's a lot of pride in Plymouth, and we want to be part of that,” she said.
The retailer is willing to work with the city and the neighborhood on a plan, Nelson said.
“In terms of traffic, in terms of community impact, I think the city is going to be very pleasantly surprised with how attentive we are to the needs of the community and developing the property in a way that's consistent with their needs and goals as well,” she said.
Comment: See earlier blog posting from October. Kathee and I (both Plymouth residents) favor this development.
I should have commented on why we favor the Wal-Mart development here: 1.) The existing Four Seasons Mall looks terrible. The parking lot is deteriorating. There is limited retail (drive by .... empty empty empty .... except on the ends!). 2.) I like Wal-Mart as a store. We don't shop at Wal-Mart because Plymouth doesn't have one. I have shopped at the Wal-Mart in Maple Grove a couple of times ... bullets once and a battery the other time. Both times good service. 3.) Wal-Mart has transformed retail (them and Amazon!) and brought strong efficiencies to the distribution stream; 4.) Done right (making the store be nice enough for snooty Plymouth) this will work; 5.) The traffic issues will need to be addressed; 6.) K-Mart in New Hope (42nd Street) is a terrible store and I wouldn't shop there; 7.) Target in Plymouth needs some competition.
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