FARGO - North Dakota's first Wal-Mart Supercenter is set to open here, offering everything from a full line of groceries to oil changes, manicures and banking services.

Construction began in July on the $10 million addition, which is scheduled to open today. It adds 84,315 square feet to a 118,686-square-foot store that opened in 1990.

The larger store will provide 200 new jobs, bringing total employment to 410, said store manager Clark McCall. He has been manager of the Fargo store for two years after working for 13 years at the Wal-Mart in Williston.

The Wal-Mart Supercenter grocery department will compete with longtime local grocer Hornbacher's Foods, which has been in business in Fargo-Moorhead for 54 years.

"Competition is good for people. Competition forces us to be better," said Dean Hornbacher, the company's president. "We're going to be around. We're not going away. We think there's value in our commitment to consumers and community."

Six other supercenters are being planned in North Dakota, McCall said. Two are to open next year in Bismarck and one each in Dickinson, Williston, Minot and Grand Forks.

The national average Wal-Mart wage is $9.68 per hour, according to a fact sheet provided by the corporation.Starting wages vary by position, ranging from $6.25 to $8.50 per hour, with credit given for working at other stores or comparable fields, McCall said.

Eight Wal-Mart discount stores are operating in North Dakota, according the company's Web site http://www.walmartfacts.com