Competition for hardware dealers?

Walmart has begun to get a foothold in the United States for its smaller format Walmart Express in communities that offer too little potential for its large-format stores. Now questions are arising in the hardware industry about the effect such small-format stores will have on independent hardware dealers in the neighbourhood. The first Walmart Express, which opened in Gentry, Arkansas, in early June, is around 1 400 m² in size. However, the local competition believes that the hardware and DIY product category in the store represents no more than a basic assortment.