Walmart's high-end membership-only retail warehouse chain, Sam's Club, will be opening its first flagship store in the Chinese city of Shanghai. The opening of the flagship store is the brand's latest volley in its ongoing battle for market share against rivals such as Costco.

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The panned flagship outlet, which will occupy a space of more than 70,000 square meters, will be the brand's largest outlet in China. The company currently has three much smaller outlets in Shanghai. Sam's Club is aiming to make the flagship store the premier shopping, leisure, and entertainment destination for all of its members in the city and beyond.

Sam's Club China president, Andrew Miles, mentioned in a statement published on Wednesday that they are excited to add the new flagship outlet to their rapidly growing footprint in the Chinese market. Miles added that the establishment of the flagship outlet is a testament to the brand's commitment to serving its members in China.

Miles explained that the store will not just be about shopping but also about entertainment and leisure for every family member. The purpose of the flagship store will be to showcase the lifestyle that Sam's Club is all about and giving that experience to all of its members in China.

Apart from the retail warehouse, the store will sport several other facilities such as food courts, restaurants, entertainment, lifestyle, and educational outlets under one roof. The flagship store will have 1,100 parking slots that are reserved for members only. The outlet's retail store and supermarket will feature over 4,000 different items that range from the company's private brands to directly imported items from 30 countries worldwide.

The proposed flagship store will be built in a piece of land in the Waigaoqiao New Development Park inside the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone. The strategic location is only a 30-minute drive from Shanghai's Pudong District, Wujiaochang, and Xinjiangwan areas.

Since Costco had opened its first store in Shanghai in August last year, Sam's Club's position as the market leader in the members-only retail warehouse sector has been under threat. The retailer had mostly been focusing on other cities in Southern China. However, it has now decided to focus its attention on penetrating Shanghai given its consumption capacity.

 Industry experts pointed out that Costco had announced plans of opening another store in Shanghai before 2021. Sam's Club likely doesn't want to be left behind, which is why it is pushing ahead with its plans to put up a flagship store in the city.

TagsSam's Club, Sam's Club Flagship, Flagship Store in Shanghai