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Two Walmart Neighborhood Markets are going up in Tucker and Dunwoody. The stores, which offer groceries, general merchandise and a pharmacy, join two others under construction in metro Atlanta and three already built. Photo provided.

Walmart continues to expand its presence in DeKalb County with two Neighborhood Markets under construction.

Work has begun to clear the sites for Neighborhood Markets in Dunwoody at 5025 Winters Chapel Road and Tucker at 3201 Tucker Norcross Road.

“Basically, these are grocery stores,” said Walmart spokesman Bill Wertz. “They differ from a Walmart Supercenter in that they are smaller.”

The Tucker store will be 42,000 square feet while the Dunwoody store will be 35,000 square feet. The stores are expected to open by the summer of 2013.

“We find that Neighborhood Markets are well received because they’re very convenient to shoppers when they are pressed for timed.” Wertz said.

“We have been working hard at Walmart to make access to our brand more convenient to customers,” said Greg Sullivan, Walmart’s senior vice president for company operations in the Southeast. “In communities like Atlanta, we are incorporating a more flexible approach that includes both large and small store formats. 

“Neighborhood Markets offer a quick and convenient shopping experience for customers who need groceries, pharmacy items and general merchandise,” Sullivan said.

So far this year, Walmart has opened Neighborhood Markets in Alpharetta, Snellville and Lawrenceville. Two other markets are under construction in Marietta. Sullivan said additional Neighborhood Markets are likely in the Atlanta area and will be announced later.

Sullivan said that the seven Atlanta-area Neighborhood Markets will employ more than 650 associates.

First opening in 1998 in Bentonville, Ark., the store’s format is designed to provide convenient shopping for groceries, pharmacy items and general merchandise. Currently, there are approximately 200 Neighborhood Markets throughout the nation.

“Like our supercenters, this is a format that has proven to be very popular with our customers,” Sullivan said. “The two formats work well together.  Customers can take advantage of the wide selection of merchandise available at our supercenters and visit the Neighborhood Markets when they are pressed for time and need only a few grocery or pharmacy items.”

Neighborhood Markets average approximately 40,000-square-feet and employ 90 associates.

The stores feature a self-serve deli with pre-packaged foods, a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and prepared foods. In addition to fresh produce, including Georgia peaches, watermelons and strawberries, the store will carry a full line of groceries, including frozen foods, meat and dairy products and organic items.

The markets will offer an expanded selection of general merchandise, including beer and wine, baby items, storage containers, stationery, paper goods, pet products, hardware items, gift wraps and bags, greeting cards and party supplies. The stores, which will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will also have a pharmacy.

“We always try to make them reflect the neighborhood,” Wertz said. “For example, a store in a Hispanic neighborhood would have more Hispanic products.”