Wal-Mart Stores has confirmed the opening of a new “discount compact hypermarket” format in China, called Trust Mart.

A spokesperson told just-food today (3 December) that the urban stores will be opened in “second and third-tier cities”. The first store opened in October in Zhangshu.

Compared with its Wal-Mart Supercenters, the spokesperson said the new stores will have a smaller sales floors of between 3,000-5,000 square metres.

The spokesperson declined to comment on the expansion plans for the format.

The move fits in with the retailer’s wider strategy, which was announced in October, of focusing on opening smaller stores in urban areas, although at the time of the announcement, the retailer was focusing small store growth in the US.