CEDAR HILLS -- Wal-Mart has announced it will open its new Cedar Hills store on March 18, about a month ahead of schedule.

A 7:30 a.m. grand opening on that day will be preceded by a VIP tour for local officials the evening before, said Rick Wolstencroft, support manager for the new store.

On Wednesday, the store was more than half stocked with dry goods, electronics, clothing, pet food and even gum, chips and ice cream. Crews on Wednesday were stocking cosmetics out of large boxes and putting up the remaining clothing displays. Work continued as well on the outside of the building.

Dairy, deli and fresh produce items will be stocked at the last minute, Wolstencroft said.

When construction started on the store last April, officials had believed the store would open in April or May, rather than this month.

Local charities have benefited from the new store, he said. At or near the grand-opening, Wal-Mart will reveal which local charities got donations from the store, but Wolstencroft said all of the money went to local groups, not national campaigns.

The new store features some green technology, including banks of skylights that allow for what is called daylight harvesting -- lighting the store with natural sunlight when possible during the day to save on the cost of electricity.

The building features pitched roofs, cupolas, copper flashing and decorative copper detailing. Much of the landscaping near the building is already finished with grasses and trees.

Inside the store will be a Subway restaurant and full pharmacy. The automotive department will be somewhat smaller than other Wal-Mart Supercenter stores, but the grocery section will be full-sized.

The supercenter, its landscaping and 591 parking spaces will take up 14 acres of the 18-acre site near Lone Peak High School, with three sites for small businesses to come later.

The building was designed with varying roof heights to break up the facade of the approximately 133,500-square-foot building.

Wal-Mart originally proposed a store in Cedar Hills in 2003, but ultimately withdrew that proposal after residents organized in protest.

After many other proposals for the property either met resistance or failed to materialize, Wal-Mart returned in late 2006, proposing a slightly smaller store. This time, a group of residents organized in support of the store.