Walmart will next week start building its first Express stores, a format less than a tenth the size of an average supercenter, according to building permits obtained by Bloomberg News.

The world’s largest retailer will begin construction March 16 on a 14,400-square-foot store in Gentry, Ark., a town of 3,158 about 20 miles southwest of the company’s Bentonville headquarters, according to the permits.

The retailer plans to open as many as 40 smaller units this year in rural and urban areas, and executives said last month that the first Express store would open as early as May.

While Walmart has kept details of the new stores a closely guarded secret, Steve Restivo, a company spokesman, confirmed the location of the store openings.