It took nearly a decade, but a new Walmart store opened in Polson on Wednesday, Oct. 23, following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new 120,000 square-foot store at 36318 Memory Lane replaces a smaller one on Heritage Lane, just south of town.
The store employs approximately 180 full- and part-time employees, including 50 new people because of the relocation.
“We are so excited to bring this newly relocated store (to Polson),” said manager Dan Dewitt. “We think customers will be pleased by our selection, as well as with the savings we offer on our full line of groceries and merchandise. We invite everyone to stop by and see the new store on grand-opening day.”
The original Walmart opened in Polson in 1998 and in 2005 the store announced plans to build a larger facility. A non-profit group held up the plan in the late 2000s over concerns about how the massive grocery store would affect smaller business around town.
Construction of the new store began last year.