Tewksbury Walmart Prepares To Go "Super"

Soon,will no longer be ordinary in the company’s eyes.

When current construction is finished, the location will be considered a Supercenter, according to Chris Buchanan, a Walmart Senior Manager of Public Affairs & Government Relations.

Residents driving by will notice some façade changes, as well as a sizeable addition. Buchanan said the expansion and renovations are “progressing well.”

“We are on schedule with site work nearing completion for the fall,” he said.

When complete, Walmart will offer an additional 21,055 square feet of retail space, as well as a “significant reorganization of their internal space,” according to Steve Sadwick, Tewksbury’s Director of Community Planning. Most of the additional retail space is to accommodate a new grocery section at the location.

“The expanded Tewksbury Walmart will provide the neighborhood the convenience of a full grocery store with a deli, bakery, meat department, fresh produce, dry and frozen goods –as well as a full general merchandise section,” said Buchanan.

Buchanan said that the grocery section of the expanded Tewksbury Walmart will allow for customers to do all of their shopping in one location.

“We wanted to provide the best possible service and savings to our customers in Tewksbury,” he said.

Other than the addition of a grocery department, the store will also feature wider aisles, wood flooring, and new signage. Buchanan also said that the store will have a “softer color scheme” and will expand its existing 30 departments.

Outside the building, Walmart agreed to perform upgrades to signage and striping in the location’s parking lot as part of the addition approval by the Planning Board, according to Sadwick.

“They did provide the town with $25,000 for Main Street improvements,” he said.

The remaining money will be used for a “variety of repairs and upgrades to Main Street” at the direction of the Town Manager and the town’s traffic consultant, according to Buchanan.

“As a good corporate citizen, we were happy to do so,” he said. 

Though Sadwick said the addition was requested to satisfy new customers as well as draw new ones, residents shouldn’t worry about traffic problems from business generated by the new grocery department.

“That was all looked at, and there was no significant increase in traffic that was projected,” said Sadwick. “The original permitting in 1994 ... was built with the capacity for a 30,000 square foot expansion.”

Also on the plus side, the addition and new grocery department will create about 85 new jobs, according to Buchanan.

“We look forward to continuing to save our Tewksbury-area customers money so they can live better,” he said.

Presently, Walmart officials haven’t determined whether they will hold a Grand Opening event when the renovations and addition are complete, according to Buchanan.