Byline: Sandra M. Jones

Oct. 10--Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s first Chicago store generated more then $5 million in state and local taxes since it opened a year ago, Wal-Mart officials said Tuesday.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer opened its first store in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side on Sept. 27, 2006. The sales tax figure includes more than $1.3 million for the city and more than $400,000 for Cook County, the company said.

Based on the taxes paid, the 142,000-square-foot store generated about $55 million to $60 million its first 12 months in business, estimated Melaniphy & Associates Inc., a Chicago-based retail real estate firm that tracks retail tax ...