Retail giant Wal-Mart's off-and-on-plans to build a 99,000-square-foot Supercenter store in Douglas are off again.

Wal-Mart spokesman Josh Phair said the plans were scrapped as part of a companywide reassessment.

"We basically just looked again at every store individually," he said. "Unfortunately, Douglas was one of the stores, among many, that had just gotten pushed out so far timing-wise that it didn't make sense for us to hang onto the land."

The weak national economy added another layer of uncertainty, he said. "We've really put our emphasis on existing stores, and making sure they've been renovated and are updated as best as possible."

Phair said he didn't think the proximity to Casper, which has two Wal-Mart Supercenters and a Sam's Club, was a factor in the decision.

Phair said the timing of a possible Wal-Mart store in Rawlins has yet to be determined, and plans for a Worland store also are under review.

He said new stores will need to fit both the company's Wyoming business plan and Wal-Mart's national growth plan. "Everything's getting a very, very close look," Phair said.

In March 2008, Wal-Mart announced it was halting plans to build a Supercenter store in Douglas.

A few months later, the project was revived. At the time, Wal-Mart expected to start construction in late spring 2009 and hold a grand opening a year later.

Wal-Mart currently has 10 Supercenters in Wyoming and two Sam's Clubs, along with a distribution center in Cheyenne.

Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the U.S. with more than 1.4 million workers.

Contact Business Editor Tom Mast at 307-266-0574 or tom.mast@trib.com.