Sam’s Club will open smaller-format store

Sam’s Club is testing a new small-format store in a Dallas neighborhood that it plans to open in the fall. The Bentonville, Ark.-based club store chain will open a 32,000-square-foot store that will offer 1,000 to 2,000 SKUs. A typical Sam’s Club is about 140,000 square feet.

Sam’s Club CEO Jamie Iannone wrote in a blog on the retailer’s website noting that the new format will be a membership club like all Sam’s Club locations, and will be designed to help Sam’s Club innovate and improve its member experience.

“The focus will be on making shopping with us even easier through a more digital experience, including fast membership sign-up, easy returns, checkout using Scan & Go, and digital signage throughout the club,” Iannone wrote. “You can expect to see a new level of convenience at this facility, and the technologies we use will continue to evolve.”

Another key difference of the smaller format will be the assortment of items that Sam’s Club will offer.

“This site will carry a limited number of items focused on the community,” Iannone said in the blog. “We’ll lean heavily into grocery and fresh food items, such as grab-and-go meals, the consumable items members buy most frequently, and services like fast, same-day club pickup and delivery options that will help busy families.”

Sam’s Club revamped its private brands last year and introduced hundreds of new items.