Dive Brief:

• Walmart’s closed Vine City Supercenter in Atlanta, which was closed last year after a fire, is scheduled to reopen in May 2024 and will include an Atlanta Police Department substation, according to local news reports. 
• The location will be converted from a supercenter to a Neighborhood Market and reportedly be the first Walmart store based on that format to include a police substation. 
• Walmart’s decision to include a police facility in the store comes as shrink due to theft and organized retail crime continue to plague the grocery industry. 

Dive Insight:

The Vine City Walmart store, which will include a grocery store and pharmacy, was closed due to suspected arson in December. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced in January that Walmart had decided to reopen the store

According Dickens, the police substation will not be occupied at all hours, but will be an area for Atlanta officers to file paperwork, hold meetings and charge their phones and body cameras, per a Rough Draft Atlanta report. The mayor also noted hopes that the presence of police will decrease shoplifting and other crimes, the news outlet said.

“After talking with the Merchants Association on MLK and Clark University and other people in the neighborhood, folks were saying they want to see more police presence,” Dickens said, Rough Draft Atlanta reported. 

“[T]he community has stood together in lockstep with a focus on making the entire MLK corridor safer and more accessible. With this confirmation, we can continue the years of dedication and hard work to continue to make that goal a reality,” Atlanta City Council Member Byron Amos said in a January press release.

Walmart did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Another Walmart Supercenter in Atlanta also sustained fire and water damage after suspected arson last year. Walmart said in January that it planned to permanently close that store, located on Howell Mill Road, Rough Draft Atlanta reported.

More retailers are increasing security measures to combat theft, including establishing in-house organized retail crime teams and installing updated technology to build cases against shoplifters. At a Harris Teeter store in Maryland, self-checkout kiosks now include a camera system that alerts customers if they fail to scan an item. The system will call an employee should a shopper overlook a second item.