Walmart Supercenter Opens in Davie, Adds 300 Jobs

By Georgiana Mihaila, Associate Editor

A grand opening ceremony was held on April 10 for the new 154,400-square-foot Walmart Supercenter, where residents gathered to celebrate both the new retail options and the addition of 300 new jobs to the town of Davie, Fla.

The town’s residents, Mayor Judy Paul and local organizations such as the Davie Police Athletic League, Ease Foundation Inc. and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida attended the opening. The organizations were given an extra reason to celebrate, as they were presented with $3,750 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. Cowboys on horseback served as greeters to celebrate the store’s grand opening in ‘horse country.’

“Davie is looking forward to Walmart’s strong community commitment,” said Davie Mayor Judy Paul. “Walmart’s campus is a tribute to Davie’s mission of green space and will hopefully be a model for other communities. The employment of approximately 300 people, many local residents, will certainly help the area economy.”

The store features quality, value-priced general merchandise including apparel, electronics, toys, sporting goods, and lawn and garden items. Additionally, unique to this store—which is located in ‘horse country’—is an agricultural feed supply section, where local residents can buy feed for farm animals. It also offers a full line of groceries, including organic and natural selections in addition to local favorites. The store offers a pharmacy with a full range of products and services.

It is estimated that solid tenant demand and minimal retail construction will push vacancy in the area way down in 2013, generating the most significant rent growth since the recession struck. For the Miami-Dade area, developers will add 450,000 square feet in 2013, with the largest project underway being the 520,000-square-foot retail component of the Brickell CitiCentre, which is to be delivered to the market in 2015.

Chart Courtesy of Marcus & Millichap