Marden's Closes Deal For Former Walmart In Scarborough

December 30, 2009

The Maine chain's store on Payne Road will be its 15th and largest location.

Marden's Surplus & Salvage may open its new store in Scarborough by the end of March.

The Maine-based chain plans to open its 15th store in the former Walmart property on Payne Road. Marden's said it closed on the purchase of the property Thursday. It did not disclose the sale price.

At 119,000 square feet, the Scarborough store will be the largest in the chain. It is expected to have the largest sales volume by far, said Ham Marden, the company's president.

"We just think it's a great facility and a super location," he said.

Marden's expected to open the store this fall or early this winter, but there were delays in the purchase after the company learned of requirements tied to the site.

The building has been vacant since Walmart opened a new Supercenter in the adjacent Scarborough Gallery in April. The new store's approval was contingent on road and traffic signal improvements required by the Maine Department of Transportation, said Town Planner Dan Bacon.

Among the requirements imposed on the developer, KGI Properties of Boston, was a right-turn lane into the former Walmart site from Payne Road.

KGI Properties has agreed to put up a performance guarantee – basically a check covering the cost of the turning lane – and Marden's will do a traffic study in the summer, Bacon said.

If the turning lane is warranted, the developer will pay for it. If some other improvement is needed, either KGI Properties or Marden's will pay, Bacon said.

Marden's has received all of its Planning Board approvals for the store, Bacon said.

Marden's general manager, Paul LePage, plans to be on the site with the store manager, Bryan Seeley, today.

Some work is needed on the building's facade, the parking lot and the sidewalk. February will be the time to load up the building with product, LePage said.

"We have to fill it full of merchandise," he said. "Basically, that's where we're at."

The Scarborough store will be about 30 percent larger than Marden's store in Waterville, which is now the largest at 94,000 square feet.

The company's average store size is 50,000 to 60,000 square feet, but several are larger, Marden said.

The store in Ellsworth is being moved to a space of about 92,000 square feet, and locations in Brewer and Lewiston are more than 80,000 square feet.

Marden said the company will have to determine whether it makes sense to have stores within a few miles of each other, in Scarborough and Portland. He said that decision hasn't been made.

Author: Ann S. Kim Portland Press Hearld