Wal-Mart 60 Days and Counting...

 

According to Walmart spokesman, Nick Infante, the Ironwood Wal-Mart project is going as scheduled, and the new Supercenter should be opening in about 60 days! "It's scheduled to open in March. March 7^th is going to be the grand opening." he said.

"We should be in probably the first week in February. It usually takes four or five weeks to stock everything. That's when the associates can get into the store and start putting shelving together, start stocking the store, and getting it ready for the grand opening." Infante said.

Mr. Infante was initially surprised by the general reaction of the public, doubting that a Supercenter would locate here. "Interest was pretty hot and heavy in the summer and spring of last year, because people weren't sure that we were going to locate in Ironwood. I think once people saw the construction start and saw the building come together they started to believe in that. And it's been pretty quiet since those rumors. Once we open on March 7th, we'll be excited to welcome the people of Ironwood into our store and to prove to them that we are there to stay!"

In a telephone interview with the Chronicle, Infante made this statement, "We're excited to bring our Supercenter into Ironwood. We're excited to offer the full line of groceries and produce, as well as the general retail merchandise. And we look forward to serving the customers in Ironwood." 

There have been mixed feelings about the new Supercenter locating in the Ironwood area. Many consumers are eager and anxious to enjoy the savings the new Wal-Mart will provide, however, some local retailers believe they will not be able to compete with the world's largest retailer. How will Wal-Mart impact the area?

Infante had this to say, "The research we did shows that the people who live in Ironwood drove to Wisconsin to shop. Maybe we can keep some of that money in the community with the store, and hopefully it will breed some other developments to come on around it. Maybe we can start drawing people from Wisconsin to Ironwood, and start recapturing some of those dollars into the community."

Jim Albert