This time, it spread a little quicker. One person mentioned a Wal-Mart Super Center and next thing you know, you would have though construction had already begun.

Not so.

Daphne Moore, spokesperson for this region of Wal-Mart stores, said her company has no immediate plans of building a Wal-Mart Super Center in Demopolis.

“We do have an existing store in Demopolis, and it’s a good store for us,” she said.

At the same time, Moore did not rule out the option of one day bringing a Super Center to this city.

“We’re always looking at opportunities to convert our stores,” she said. “Right now, though, that is not something we are doing in Demopolis.”

News of Wal-Mart expanding from its current size to a Super Center has hovered over Demopolis for more than a decade. According to some, a Super Center was supposed to be built 15 years ago. Obviously that didn’t happen.

Even in the past year, rumors about expansion at the local Wal-Mart have circulated time and again. Over the weekend, however, those rumors took on a life of their own. One citizen said the announcement was made to employees by Demopolis store manager John Whitehead and the district manager for this particular store.

Only problem: Whitehead was not even in town on Friday.

Moore’s only comment was that immediate plans did not call for the construction of a Super Center. She did not rule out that it would happen, and according to some, the retail giant could visit the idea of building a Super Center in Demopolis within the next few weeks.

In the most basic of explanations, Wal-Mart transforms from a regular retail store to a Super Center when it adds a grocery department. Currently, Wal-Mart does not have a grocery store at its Demopolis location. The Arkansas-based company does have Super Centers in Thomasville, Selma, Meridian and Tuscaloosa.