Walmart will open its newest grocery outlet Wednesday in one of Chattanooga's oldest shopping centers.
The newest Neighborhood Market grocery opens at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday in the newly renovated Highland Plaza shopping center. The food-only Walmart store is one of a half dozen Neighborhood Markets opening this year and next in the Chattanooga area as Walmart expands its footprint with stores less than a fourth the size of Walmart's super stores in the region.
Walmart has already opened Neighborhood Market stores in Fort Oglethorpe, East Ridge and Dalton, Ga., and in the next couple of months will open other Neighborhood Market stores on Shallowford Road and in Middle Valley.
Each of the new stores include about 41,000 square feet and are staffed by 95 full- and part-time workers. Brad Walters, the store manager for the new Highland Plaza grocery store, will lead a grand opening ceremony from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. Wednesday.
The new Walmart Neighborhood Market at Highland Plaza, 3901 Hixson Pike, will celebrate its grand opening with a Grand Opening Celebration from 7:30 to 8 a.m.and a day of festivities. The ceremony will include remarks from Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppiner and Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Membership Sandra Brewer.
Fletcher Bright Co. owns the 174,877-square-foot shopping center, which was built in the 1950s at Hixson Pike and Ashland Terrace.
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the grand opening celebration will continue inside the new Walmart Neighborhood Market with activities and free samples from vendors.