WHITE PLAINS— It's the universal mantra of Realtors: Location, location, location.
And then, there is the White Plains Walmart. Located in the heart of the downtown, right next to City Hall on Main Street, the store occupies one of the key spots in Westchester County's shopping mecca.
So why did Walmart announce on Tuesday that it was closing its 275 Main St.store for good by Aug. 10 and reportedly looking for a larger space with more parking?
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Simple, said Martin Deitch, who is helping the superstore chain find a better spot to do business.
"Convenience, convenience, convenience. I can't stress it enough. When you shop, it all comes down to convenience," said Deitch,executive vice president of theAries Deitch & Endelson retail and commercial real estate firm in Hartsdale. "That, and the parking situation. This isn't New York City. People don't want to pay for parking."
Deitch said Walmart "has been unhappy with the White Plains location for some time.The Main Street store just isn't very convenient."
What's true at Walmart is true at other locations in White Plains, Deitch said. The Main Street location also has a Burlington Coat Factory, up a long, steep escalator to the second floor.
Shopping areas with similar, somewhat complicated accesses in White Plains include the City Center, which features a below-ground Target, and a ShopRite supermarketon Level 2. The Source has a Whole Foods market on the ground floor, Dick's Sporting Goods on the second and a Raymour & Flanigan furniture store onthe third floor. Both have garages that charge for parking.
Some stores in the Source validate parking, with customers exiting the gated garage using theirvalidated tickets. At the City Center, shoppers pay for parking on the way in and can get the fee reimbursed at some of the businesses there.
"When you're talking about suburban shoppers, their biggest concern is how fast theycan get in and out. They want to park, go in, get what they need and leave. Throwing escalators, elevators and garages into the mix makes it less convenient. They may try a store when it's newbut, if it's not convenient enough, they won't come back."
Yonkers resident Eric Schoen said the White Plains Walmart was the closest one to where he lives, but that it wasn't easy to shop there.
"There shouldn't be a Walmart at that location, he said."Other Walmarts are not in buildings that makeyou gothrough elevators and parking lots to get to... The parking lot has always been drama, and the elevators in there are just zoos."
He agreed with Walmart executives, who said Tuesday that the company was concentrating on "superstores" with groceries that would require more space than the White Plains location.
"At most Walmartsin the country, you don't have to pay (for parking)," Schoen said."Walmart was a concept store in that (White Plains) building, and it just didn't work."
At the City Center, Margaret Cataldo of White Plains said Wednesday that she parks on the same floor as ShopRite to make things easy.
"Ipark on the second floor;I don't walk here," she said. "I imagine if I walked here it'd be difficult."
Another ShopRite customer, Deborah Walker of White Plains, agreed.
"I deliberately park on this level. They're (the escalators)out of order half the time anyway so I just park here," she said.
Deitch, who brokered the deal that brought ShopRite to the City Center in 2011, said that despite it's location on an upper floor, the supermarket is successful.
"At first, you might figure that a supermarket that's not on the ground floor wouldn't be all that convenient," he said. "But people park on the same level and wheel their carts right out to the garage, avoiding elevators completely. And ShopRite will reimburse them part of the parking cost. They've made it work."
The ShopRite convenience factor is also increased because of the apartments at the City Center and on nearby streets. Having a supermarket within walking distance is all but essential to people living downtown.
A number of recent studies by various retail groups show that grocery stores have become a major player in reviving financially stressed shopping centers across the country, replacing big-box stores as anchors.
Retail Dive, which covers commercial news and trends, said in a recent podcast that a record number of bankruptcies and store closures last year were in part "a right-sizing that will continue until the industry finds its sweet spot where the only stores that exist are ones consumers actually want to visit."
The challenge, Retail Dive said, is to "convince shoppers it's worth their time and effort to actually head to a store."
