It's a known quantity that if a WalleyWorld opens up in a town of less than X population that most of the entire main street business will board up. One good example is Delta,Co.. The Town Grandfathers blocked Walmart and Kmart to protect the local businesses. They did allow a Gibsons in but since when was a Gibson ever any competition other than a poorly run 2nd hand store. That was the way it was for years. Just 20 miles up the road,Montrose, Co. did get a Walleyworld. But there was a 4 lane US Hiway all the way. The Granddaddies die off, the Fathers must have also because the Town "Offspring" succumbed to the....... Let's just say that it was no longer what was good for the community when they allowed a Walleyworld to come into the town. The joke may be on them since the next series of Walleyworld Closings just might be their Walleyworld Superstore.
The point is, Walmart lays in the big bucks and pressured to wherever they try and come in. The Short term with that much financial and power gain is just staggering. It took Walleyworld about 20 years to get that store into Delta Colorado. Has the town grown in 50 years? No, not at all even with Walleyworld kicking in. But the Main Street was demolished when the free standing Walleyworld was built. And the town will go back to much worse condition after it shuts down.
39 miles away is another Walleyworld. Grand Junction has two of them. I don't foresee both staying open in the next 10 years. And the population here is well over 100K, closer to 200K. But both stores are stand alone stores where other stores have built not far from them to enjoy the partial benefit of that Anchor Store. Meanwhile, the Mall, just down the street has Target and has almost single handedely kept that mall open even though it's very depressing to go into many of the other parts of the Mall. Yah, I know, the Mall and the City all beem about how good it's doing but us long term locals know better.
Malls are toast these days and there are fewer and fewer anchor stores that don't want to build free standing stores.
