A man shops at a supermarket in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 24, 2020. Photo:Xinhua

A new flagship outlet of Walmart's members-only warehouse chain Sam's Club began construction in Shanghai on Thursday and is set to open in 2021. Located in the Waigaoqiao bonded area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone in Pudong, this will be the largest independent property operated by Sam in China. 

The building will cover an area of 70,000 square meters that includes the Sam's Club, together with catering, entertainment, and education and lifestyle facilities.

Sam's Club currently has 26 outlets across Chinese mainland, with more than 2.8 million members. According to Walmart, it plans to have a total of 40 to 45 clubs open and in construction in the country by the end of 2022.

Despite COVID-19 pandemic induced economic impact, foreign companies continue to expand their footprints in China. For instance, US fried chicken restaurant chain Popeyes has started its first branch in China on May 15, also in Shanghai.

US supermarket giant Costco announced in February to open its second China store in Shanghai's Pudong New Area. Besides, Costco is also accelerating the opening of a new branch in Suzhou of East China's Jiangsu Province within two years, according to reports.

Statistics show that China's foreign direct investment (FDI) reversed its decline in April with an 11.8 percent growth year-on-year, hitting 70.36 billion yuan ($9.9 billion), after dropping in the previous two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.