Foreign-Trade Zone 104Savannah, GA; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Distribution and Processing Facility; Application for Subzone Bulloch County, GA

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 27-94]

Foreign-Trade Zone 104--Savannah, GA; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.;

Distribution and Processing Facility; Application for Subzone Bulloch

County, GA

An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board

(the Board) by the Savannah Airport Commission, grantee of FTZ 104,

requesting special-purpose subzone status for a new distribution and

processing facility of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., located in Bulloch

County, Georgia, in the Savannah Customs port of entry area. The

application was submitted pursuant to the provisions of the Foreign-

Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the regulations of

the Board (15 CFR Part 400). It was formally filed on July 15, 1994.

Wal-Mart is a nationwide discount merchandiser, headquartered in

Bentonville, Arkansas. The company employs 520,000 people and its total

sales exceed $67 billion.

Wal-Mart is constructing a new distribution/processing facility

(1.5 mil. sq. ft. on 163-acre site) at County Road 204 and Highway 301,

Statesboro, Georgia, some 45 miles northwest of Savannah. The facility

will be used to store, test, and distribute a wide range of consumer

products, some of which are of foreign origin. There will be processing

activity for some products. The application contains requests for

authority to assemble stereo systems (duty rate 3.7%) and camera kits

(duty rate 3.0%) under zone procedures. Items sourced from abroad for

the stereo assembly operations include: tuners, amplifiers, and

turntables (duty rate range 4.4%-6.0%). Items sourced abroad for the

camera kit assembly operations include: camera cases (plastic, leather,

and other), lenses, and film (duty rate range 3.7%-20.0%).

Zone procedures would exempt Wal-Mart from Customs duty payments on

the foreign products that are reexported. It would be able to defer

Customs duty payments on domestic sales, and choose the finished

product duty rates on the above noted items processed at the facility.

The application indicates that zone savings would help improve the

international competitiveness of the distribution/processing facility.

In accordance with the Board's regulations, a member of the FTZ

Staff has been designated examiner to investigate the application and

report to the Board.

Public comment on the application is invited from interested

parties. Submissions (original and three copies) shall be addressed to

the Board's Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing

period for their receipt is October 3, 1994. Rebuttal comments in

response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be

submitted during the subsequent 15-day period (to October 17, 1994).

A copy of the application and the accompanying exhibits will be

available for public inspection at each of the following locations:

U.S. Department of Commerce District Office, 120 Barnard St., A-107,

Savannah, Georgia 31401

Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, U.S.

Department of Commerce, Room 3716, 14th Street & Constitution Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC 20230

Dated: July 22, 1994.

John J. Da Ponte, Jr.,

Executive Secretary.

[FR Doc. 94-18785 Filed 8-1-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE: 3510-DS-P