Wal-Mart Breaks Ground For New Super Store in Escazú
Earth moving has begun to clear the site for a new Hipermas store in Escazú. Wal-Mart Costa Rica says it will invest us$12.5 million dollars in the latest "hipermercado", which according to Wal-Mart officials, will look more like a Wal-Mart, including the Wal-Mart name on the outside, rather than the existing Hipermas stores.

Wal-Mart Costa Rica last year bought controlling share in the holding company that operates, in addition to the Hipermas stores, 23 Mas x Menos, 98 Palí and 8 MaxiBodegas supermarkets in Costa Rica.

The new building will be 6.500 square metres situated across from the Trejos Montelegre shopping store, facing the autopista. The store was originally going to be located across the highway from the current location. Problems with construction delayed the building of the Hipermas store, which is now home to the EPA hardware store.

According to Aquileo Sánchez, director of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart Costa Rica, the new store will look more like the Wal-Mart stores in the United States and less like the existing Hipermas stores in Costa Rica.

"The style of construction will be Wal-Mart, as well as the internal organization of the retail store, which will be modeled after the success in the U.S.", said Sánchez in a press release.

The new store will employ some 600 people who will work directly with the new store. In addition, some 3.000 will have indirect benefits from the new store, Wal-Mart says. Working with the Municipality of Escazú, Wal-Mart hopes to provide most of the jobs to those living near the new store.

According to the construction crew, they ground movement will continue until November, when construction to the building will begin. The new store is schedule to be opened by mid 2007.

Wal-Mart purchased a controlling share of Supermercados Unidos (CSU) last year and renamed it Wal-Mart Costa Rica.