Walmart purchased the Monroeville Mall in Western Pennsylvania for $34 million. Perhaps coincidentally, it wanted a store in the town of Monroeville 20 years ago, but got denied by local authorities. In what might be a revenge move a la Taylor Swift, Walmart buying the mall can clear the pathway into the market far more easily than getting approvals and building a site from scratch.
The chain has not commented on its plans in Monroeville, but it applied for a $7.5 million redevelopment grant from the state of Pennsylvania to support the “full demolition” of the mall and to build new retail, restaurant, and entertainment venues.
What in the (Wally) world? In 2018, Walmart publicly announced a plan to reimagine spaces around its stores as “town centers” that could include local food vendors, gyms, and recreation centers. The Monroeville acquisition might be part of that. Who among us is not a little behind on our New Year’s resolutions?—HVL
