A grocery store coming to North Station’s 55,000 square foot One Canal development is old news. Until a chain announces that it will set up shop in the 20,000-plus square feet of space designated for a supermarket, however, speculation will continue.

Wegmans, the East Coast mega-supermarket chain, dubbed the “Anti-Walmart” appears to destined for Fenway’s Landmark Center.

According to the Boston Business Journal, Samuels and Associates has proposed a $500 million dollar expanded Landmark Center. Plans include, 550 residential units and a 75,000 square-foot Wegmans, in addition to 125,000 square feet of office and retail space.

Steve Samuels, of Samuels and Associates, drew the praise of BRA Director Peter Meade, who called his proposal “fascinating.”

“(Samuels’ proposal) will make every other supermarket in our region better because they will need to compete with Wegmans,” Meade told the BBJ.

A Landmark Center Location will be the third Wegmans to come to the state, with a Northborough store open and a Chestnut Hill site under construction.

The European-style, open-air market feel Wegmans in known for has earned the chain a loyal customer base, that flocks to purchase their shares of “fresh produce, hundreds of imported cheeses, artisan breads, baked goods and prepared foods.”

Quality products and “happy, knowledgeable and superbly trained” employees helped the chain average the highest daily sales volume in the industry, according to the March 2012 story, by the Atlantic.

The Wegman family business model appears simple: put employees and quality first. A philosophy, no doubt, another family super-chain would like to be recognize for.

Sadly for the Walton’s, their brand continues to suffer major public relations hits.

On Sept. 27, ProPublica published a scathing report, documenting the longterm impacts of the Wal-Mart v. Dukes 2011 Supreme Court ruling, that saw, by a count of 5-4 , Wal-Mart escape punishment, despite rampant discriminatory workplace accusations.

Just yesterday, one outlet went as far as to claim the Walton’s money-empire was responsible for the government shutdown. (Take that from its source, however.)

Ultimately, it appears Wal-Mart’s low-price guarantees have been overruled by cluttered aisles, poor working wages, and discrimination allegations, at least in the court of public opinion.

But people still go; just ask Christy, Jim, Alice and S. Robson Walton, who, together, are worth roughly $107 billion, and hold spots 11, 14, 16 and 17 on Forbes “2013 Top 20 Billionaires” list, in that order.

This makes a Wegmans in Landmark Center particularly interesting.

According to Hoovers, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (Ranked #1 in Fortune 500),  ranks as Wegmans’ top competitor. What better way to make your presence felt than become the go-to supermarket in a city prepping for billions of dollars worth of redevelopment?

There is actually a precedent for this occurrence in D.C.: Over the summer Wegmans entered negotiations to bring a store to the the nation’s capital.One month later, Wal-Mart announced the date of its grand opening in the same area.

Traditionally, Wal-Mart is known for its massive square footage, and one-stop-shop appeal. But that trend may be changing.

Last month, The Street reported that Wal-Mart announced plans to increase their smaller “Neighborhood Market “stores — averaging about 38,000 square feet — and “Walmart Express” stores –averaging about 15,000 square feet by nearly 75 percent over the next 18 months — 500 stores.

The Street reported that Bill Simon, Wal-Mart’s President and CEO of its U.S. operations, said initial Walmart Express trial openings have been positive for the chain, as it looks to tap into more urban settings, incapable of holding a 100,000-plus square foot “Supercenter.”

Is North Station urban enough for one of these concept stores?

BostInno reached out to Colliers VP Jeff Black for his input regarding whether or not Wal-Mart would (or has) set its sights on One Canal. He has yet to respond.

Bill Wertz,  Wal-Mart’s Director of Communication for east coast operations, however, was kind enough to speak with BostInno.

“While we’re always looking for opportunities to bring more convenient and affordable shopping opportunities to customers in Boston and throughout Massachusetts, we have announced no plans for a new store near North Station,” Wertz told BostInno over email.

(Don’t worry if you had to read that a couple of times; the wording — “announced no plans –” is tricky.)

BostInno followed up for clarification:

“Bill,

Thank you for taking the time to get back to me.  

Just to clarify:

Has Walmart actually announced that there will not be any stores in Boston?

Or

Walmart has not announced any plans to come to Boston?”

No dice. Mr. Wertz’s second reply was just as cryptic as his first:

“As I said, we are always looking for new locations where we can offer customers more convenience and low prices – throughout Massachusetts and including Boston.  We have announced no plans for a new store near North Station.”

Can’t say we didn’t try to clear up the wording. What I think he meant to say, is “Wal-Mart has not announced that the chain is not coming to North Station.”

Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see. But here is what we know thus far:

• Wegmans seems destined for Fenway;
• Roche Bros. is setting up its first downtown location at Downtown Crossing;
• Both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s passed on One Canal;
• Stop and Shop is no longer being considered for One Canal; and
• Two unknown supermarkets are in the conversation to occupy the soon-to-be-redeveloped North Station.

You be the judge: What supermarket belongs at One Canal?

Image from Wikipedia