Construction has yet to begin on Demopolis’s new Wal-Mart Supercenter on Highway 80, but that hasn’t stopped the company from already selling the current building housing the local retail giant.

Reports sent Monday to the Demopolis Times that the present Wal-Mart building had been sold were confirmed on the website of the Rockwood Exchange, an online real estate sales platform run by Rockwood Realty. The website, which classifies the building as a “retail big box” property, had changed their listing attached to the Demopolis Wal-Mart from “Available” to “Under Contract” as of Monday afternoon.

Exactly who or what has purchased the location remains a mystery as of press time, however. Calls to the Wal-Mart realty office in Atlanta asking for confirmation had yet to be returned, and the Rockwood Exchange site does not divulge the identity of the buyer.

Current speculation as to the buyer is centered on the “big box” hardware chains, which represent some of the few businesses that could effectively utilize the wide-open interior spaces offered by the abandoned Wal-Mart.

The already-established local presence in Demopolis of Marvin’s hardware has made it a popular candidate with the town rumor mill. Others in this vein of business include the Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Ace.

The timing of the sell will be seen by many as a positive departure for the Wal-Mart corporation, which has come under increasing fire in recent years for leaving its smaller, older “less-than-Super” centers unsold and unoccupied in its rush to build its larger, more profitable Supercenters.

However, it does not appear this will be the case in Demopolis.

Construction on the new Supercenter is slated to begin in February, with the new building in operation and open for business possibly by the end of this year.