Study weighs impacts of Thomaston Walmart
A proposed Walmart in Thomaston will, if built, create an additional 85 jobs, but could also lead to the closure of an existing supermarket, an economic impact study reported.
In its study of the impact of a new 150,000-square-foot Walmart store, Planning Decisions Inc. said the $28 million supercenter would add 50,000 new square feet of grocery space, leading to increased competition in the retail grocery industry as well as the garden center industry. According to its data, the region's annual demand for grocery products is $90 million-$100 million, while existing retailers only provide $80 million-$90 million. The new store will boost grocery sales in the region "as fewer residents drive to Augusta or Damariscotta for groceries," the report states. However, intensified competition in the grocery sector could "over time...lead to the closing of one of the existing supermarkets." Planning Decisions found the impact of the new Walmart to be "marginal" on convenience stores, but that it could take away sales from nearby Lowe's and Home Depot. The store would generate an additional $440,000 in annual property tax revenue for Thomaston.
The new store will have about 400 employees, many of whom will be transfers from the Walmart location in Rockland, which the Arkansas-based company plans to close if its Thomaston store receives town approval. The study was required as part of Maine's Informed Growth Act, which at the time the new Walmart was proposed required an impact study for retail development of 75,000 square feet or more. The law has since become optional.
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