Wal-Mart said that it might open a Sam’s Club store in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. If its plan goes well, Nanchang will become the first second-tier city that has the membership store in China.

Wal-Mart entered the Chinese market and opened its first supercenter and Sam’s Club in Shenzhen in 1996. However, the retailer was slow in expanding its Sam’s Club presence in the country. It had only four of such stores in Shenzhen, Fuzhou, Guangzhou and Beijing.

Though he could open more than 40 new supercenters annually in China, Ed Chan, who was the former president and chief executive officer for five years, had a limited number of Sam’s Club openings. He once said that he hoped to introduce the store format in Sichuan Province but did not make it before his resignation.