In an about face, Walmart has abandoned plans to build a 158,000 square-foot supercenter store in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII, off Rt. 412 in Bethlehem, near the Hellertown interchange on I-78, the Morning Call reported Thursday.
Although no specific reason for the withdrawal was given by the retail giant, director of corporate communications for Walmart Phil Keene told the newspaper the decision was made after “consideration of several business factors” and as the company focuses its efforts on new and innovative ways to attract customers.
Walmart first pitched its plans for the store that was to be built near the intersection of Commerce Center Boulevard and Rt. 412 in May 2016, when it was touted as potentially creating 300 new jobs for area residents and continuing the revitalization of the “brownfields” former industrial area that was once part of Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Walmart already has a large distribution center in the industrial park that now occupies part of the site.
The superstore was to have included a grocery department, a general merchandise section, a full-service pharmacy and a garden center.
The president of LVIP Inc., Kerry Wrobel, told the Morning Call the Walmart site will now be marketed to local and national retail developers.
