WinCo supermarket appears to have hit pause

An artist's rendering shows what a proposed WinCo Foods supermarket would look like after construction at the west end of Central Mall in Texarkana, Texas. (City of Texarkana, Texas)
An artist's rendering shows what a proposed WinCo Foods supermarket would look like after construction at the west end of Central Mall in Texarkana, Texas. (City of Texarkana, Texas)

TEXARKANA, Texas-- WinCo's takeover of the former Sears store at Central Mall appears to have stalled.

The project was set to begin with the demolition of the former department store and then constructing a new building to be connected to the mall. The projected cost for the demolition and build was initially thought to be more than $21 million, with the predicted completion to be around February or March 2023.

In January, the City Council authorized an economic agreement with WinCo that a rebate of no more than $350,000 would be offered upon construction of the supermarket.

The reportedly has halted due to the project's cost exceeding the initial estimate by 30%, according to the city.

The store is expected to employ about 90 people, including at least 30 full-time positions, with an average wage of $15 per hour, according to an earlier Gazette report. Some management positions would start at $18 an hour.

Headquartered in Idaho, WinCo Foods operates more than 100 supermarkets, almost all of which are in the western U.S., mostly California. A few WinCo stores are in the Dallas, Texas, area and Oklahoma. The Texarkana store would be its easternmost.

The chain touts a low price promise, an emphasis on bulk food sales and an employee ownership business model. After six months on the job, each employee receives stock in the company annually.

The Gazette reached out to WinCo Foods for comment but did not receive a response.

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