RICHMOND, Va. – A Walmart on Campus convenience store at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will open April 29—the retailer’s fifth such small-format store.
Walmart signed a lease with the VCU Real Estate Foundation in August 2014 to open the 4,100-square-foot c-store.
"VCU is excited that our students will enjoy the convenience and low prices the Walmart on Campus will offer. With its product mix, pharmacy and services, this is a great addition to retail growth on and around campus that meets the needs of students, faculty, staff and surrounding neighborhoods,” Diane Reynolds, assistant vice president for business services at VCU, said when the store was announced.
"We are thrilled to bring one of our campus stores to VCU. We continue to find new ways to make shopping more convenient for our customers, and they have been very enthusiastic about this format," said Brooke Mueller, Walmart director of public affairs. "They appreciate the convenience of having a Walmart so close that offers both affordable general merchandise and health and wellness services.”
The store occupies the first floor of a seven-story building owned by VCU Real Estate Foundation, a nonprofit established to acquire, lease, develop and dispose of real estate for the benefit of VCU. In addition to Walmart on Campus, the building will include classrooms and administrative offices.
Walmart on Campus will be located near the West Grace Student Housing-North residence hall, which houses VCU Globe, a global education living-learning community, and West Grace Student Housing-South residence hall, which houses VCU ASPiRE, a living-learning community that promotes community engagement. In addition, a mixed-use development that includes a residence hall is under construction in the area.
The store will employ approximately 10 associates, according to Walmart.
The store will have a full-service pharmacy and will sell fresh produce, dairy products, meats, health and beauty aids and merchandise tailored to the campus, but it will not sell beer, wine, cigarettes or lottery tickets, said a report by The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Bentonville, Ark.-based multi-format retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. operates Walmart on Campus convenience stores at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arizona State University in Tempe, Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and the University of Missouri in Columbia.
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