NOGALES—It has been two years since the Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in Nogales. The 219,000 square foot "big box" store replaced a smaller store that was 103,000 square feet. The Supercenter is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and employees 600 people.

The new store's opening was a big factor in the decision to close Veterans' Market last August, according to Veterans' Market board member Nubar Hanessian.

"Our sales dropped 30 percent when the new Wal-Mart opened," Hanessian said. "We advertised aggressively and got about 10 percent of our sales back but we never came close to our previous sales level. We were at a breakeven and could have continued to operate but we got an offer we couldn't refuse and sold our building."

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Veterans' had been founded in 1947 by a group of Nogales who had returned from World War II.

Danny Zuniga, manager of the Food City store in Nogales, said his meat and bakery departments did not suffer when the new Wal-Mart opened and his produce business was off just a bit. His business is down in other areas of the store.

On the plus side, the opening of the Wal-Mart Supercenter is believed to have attracted new stores to Nogales, including Home Depot, Ross for Less, Big Lots, and Fallas Paredes, a discount clothing store.

From the Nogales International.

Benson about to get Wal-Mart

BENSON—It wasn't unanimous, but the Benson City Council two weeks ago gave final zoning approval to allow the construction of a 99,000-square foot Wal-Mart store. The company is hoping to have the store open by next year.

City Manager Boyd Kraemer says he thinks that might be a little optimistic due to issues over traffic and design of the store.

The council's debate included discussion of Wal-Mart's negative image as an employer but in the end the vote was 5-1 to approve the rezoning.

From the San Pedro Valley News-Sun

Wal-Mart brings customers to Douglas

DOUGLAS n The waiting game was finally over. After four years of starts and stops, the Wal-Mart Supercenter opened a little more than four months ago along the border here.

Then came the hand wringing. Which stores were going to close? How much money would it take from downtown Douglas? Which stores were going to be impacted most by the opening?

It turned out the Wal-Mart Supercenter was not the black hole many merchants thought it would be.

"We did suffer a little slowdown for the first week or two, but our business came right back after that," said Danny Ortega, Jr., of The Shoe Salon. "We are actually doing better."

"There is increased traffic downtown, we are seeing new faces in our store. The opening of the Supercenter actually kept people here and attracted consumers from outlying areas."

Consumers from Douglas and Agua Prieta, across the border, historically have spent 35 to 40 percent of their retail dollars out of town n in Sierra Vista, Tucson and elsewhere.

"But we have seen an increase of shoppers from Bisbee, the Sulphur Springs Valley and western New Mexico," Ortega said.

The store acted somewhat like a mall and attracted customers within a 60 mile radius.

It was the only Supercenter in the southeastern part of the state.

There were concerns among the two main grocers, Food City and Safeway, and while sales have dropped, reportedly stores have seen most of their old customer base return.

It is believed that the Supercenter has not had a devastating effect on the other grocery stores, because more people are staying home to do their shopping. According to the latest city economic report from the Cochise College Center for Economic Research, about 17 percent of the potential grocery sales had been leaving town prior to the store opening. It is believed that number now has dropped, and the fact that more people from outside the immediate area are coming here to do their shopping has allowed all three stores to survive.

From the The Daily Dispatch