COURTESY SEVERAL SMALLER WALMART NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETS, like this one that opened in Edgewood on Wednesday, are planned to open in East Texas throughout the end of January. The stores are 12,000 square feet and are opening in rural communities.

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The first of several smaller Walmart Neighborhood Markets to come to East Texas opened in Edgewood on Wednesday.

Anne Hatfield, director of communications, Walmart Public Affairs,  said the store on U.S. Highway 80 in Van Zandt County was the second of the new 12,000-square-foot stores to open. The first opened Nov. 12 in Anson, near Abilene.

The grocery stores are even smaller than the 40,000-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Markets — like the one that opened in Tyler this year — which are one-third smaller than Walmart Supercenters.

“We’re the biggest thing to happen in Edgewood since the second stoplight came to town in 2002,” said Terry Mullican, manager of the Edgewood store, according to the Associated Press.

The store will stock 18,940 items, compared to a Supercenter’s 100,000. It will have three checkouts instead of more than 25 and two self-checkouts instead of 12, he said.

The Edgewood store, which also has a gas station, has 36 employees. Ms. Hatfield said stores typically hire about 30 people and are targeting rural towns in Texas, as well as in other parts of the country.

Through January, stores planned to open in the East Texas area include Lone Star, DeKalb and Waskom on Jan. 7; Naples, Redwater and Frankston on Jan. 14; and Hughes Springs and Diana on Jan. 21. 

Ms. Hatfield said they plan to open 240 small format stores nationwide, including 37 in Texas, through Jan. 31.

“Both size Neighborhood Markets serve our customers the same way, saving our customers time and money so they can live better by providing quick and easy access to a wide variety of affordable products, like fresh produce, meat and dairy products, quick meal solutions, household supplies, health and beauty aids, a pharmacy and a fuel station,” Ms. Hatfield said in an email.

 She said they are opening the smaller stores to respond to customers’ needs for convenient access.

“Walmart Neighborhood Markets were designed as a smaller-footprint store to provide shoppers with affordable, fresh groceries and everyday goods,” she said. 

“Neighborhood Markets improve the quality of life for our customers, and saves them time, with a quick and convenient shopping experience close to where they live or work.”

 She said Walmart is selecting locations for the stores based on research of market demand and need. Walmart’s real estate team works to determine the best possible location for each Neighborhood Market, she added.