Oxnard Center to Include Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club

Construction has begun on new Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores that will anchor the Shopping at the Rose retail center, at the Ventura Freeway and Rose Avenue in Oxnard. The units, which are expected to provide 400 jobs, will mark the entry into Ventura County of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation’s largest retailer.

The company plans to employ 250 workers in the 145,000-square-foot Wal-Mart and 150 in the 135,000-square-foot Sam’s Club membership warehouse outlet. Both stores are scheduled to open in late August or early September.

In all, the 62-acre Shopping at the Rose project is expected to create 500 construction jobs and up to 1,500 permanent positions, said Kevin Bernzott, chief executive officer of McGaelic Group, a member of the McGrath-RHD partnership that is developing the center.

The $45-million Shopping at the Rose will have about 25 stores, including a Vons market, a Sportmart and a House of Fabrics, Bernzott said. “And we’ve just made a deal with another major retail chain,” he added. “I can’t reveal the name yet, but we’ll be announcing it within a month.”

Bernzott said the entire project should be completed by the end of the year. He estimated that the center will generate $2 million to $3 million a year in sales tax revenues for Oxnard alone, in addition to much more that will be paid to state and county agencies.