For the first time in a decade, Kemp residents will soon be able to shop for fresh produce and other groceries without driving 10 miles.

Walmart Express will be opening one of its 12,000-square-foot stores on Highway 274 across from Kemp High School. Kemp Mayor Laura Hanna Peace announced the opening this week in advance of the global chain's official announcement and start of construction.

Peace said she expects to soon be able to announce when the construction will begin. She scheduled a meeting with the development's architect this week.

The store will include a delicatessen, fresh produce, other groceries and gas pumps. Prices at the store will be comparable to those at the chain's Supercenter stores, which will be used to stock the smaller stores.

Peace said the store will be convenient for Cedar Creek Lake residents passing through Kemp on their way home or to weekend getaways, but it will be most beneficial to the tiny town's residents. Residents now must drive to Kaufman, Mabank, Seven Points or Gun Barrel City to buy groceries.

Residents who struggle because of age or financial hardships will enjoy easier lives when the store opens, the mayor said.

Walmart's President and CEO Bill Simon announced at a shareholder's meeting earlier this month the chain plans to open 100 new Express stores and 200 Neighborhood Markets, which are about three times larger than the Express stores, across the United States in the next year.

The Kemp City Council began preparing for the new development last month when it rezoned the land where the Express store will be built from residential to commercial retail.