Wal-Mart Opens Second High-Efficiency Store In Northern Illinois, Using 20 Percent Less Energy

Rockton, Ill., March 14, 2007 – Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. today announced the opening today of its second High-Efficiency Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rockton, Ill., expected to use 20 percent less energy than a typical Supercenter. The High-Efficiency Supercenter is the second of four to open this year, located in a variety of climate zones to evaluate how the systems perform. The store features industry-leading advancements such as integrated heating, cooling and refrigeration systems, and lighting innovations to conserve energy. Wal-Mart opened its first High-Efficiency store in January in Kansas City, Mo.

“At Wal-Mart, being a good business and a good steward of the environment go hand-in-hand,” said Charles Zimmerman, vice president of Prototype and New Format Design. “This series of higher-efficiency stores is an important step toward reaching one of our environmental goals -- designing and opening a prototype that is 25 to 30 percent more efficient by 2009. By incorporating these technologies into a working store, we are demonstrating that more efficient store designs can save energy, lower utility costs and reduce emissions. Those are savings that we can pass along to our customers.”

In 2005, Wal-Mart opened two experimental stores in McKinney, Texas, and Aurora, Colo., with the hope that successful experiments could someday be incorporated into new store prototypes. The Rockton High-Efficiency store brings many of these experiments to life.

“The new heating, cooling and refrigeration systems are fully integrated so that 100 percent of the excess refrigerant heat is pumped back into the HVAC,” said Jim McClendon, Wal-Mart Chief Mechanical Engineer. “That means heat which would have been released into the air is reclaimed and converted into usable energy. We are actively sharing this technology and other learnings from our High-Efficiency stores with the entire commercial industry, including our competitors.”

Wal-Mart is now installing motion sensor-driven LED refrigerated and freezer case lighting in its new stores, the first commercial LED installation of this magnitude in U.S. retail. LED lights have a longer life span than fluorescent bulbs, produce less heat and use significantly less energy than typical grocery case lighting. In the High-Efficiency stores, LED lights have been installed in freezer and refrigerated cases, and doors have been added to cases in the deli and dairy sections. To save energy, the motion sensor-driven lights in these cases automatically turn off when not in use for a few seconds, then quickly turn back on when a customer approaches.

Many environmentally beneficial features of the store are nearly indiscernible to customers and associates. For example, the daylight harvesting system uses skylights to refract daylight throughout the store and light sensors to monitor the amount of natural light available. During periods of higher natural daylight, the system dims or turns off the store lights, thereby reducing energy use. Although the amount of artificial light varies, the state-of-the-art system makes the lighting changes virtually seamless.

“We are excited to open this new High-Efficiency Supercenter, bringing reliable, comfortable, convenient service to the Rockton community,” said Store Manager Alicia Lawrence. “Our new store features the latest in energy-saving technologies and Wal-Mart’s new interior design and most importantly provides the community with the continued value of every day low price that brings them through our doors.”

New Interior Designs and Layout add to One-Stop Shopping Convenience
The Rockton Supercenter interior features earth tones, wide aisles and concrete flooring for environmentally friendly maintenance. New signage and lower shelves help customers quickly locate their selections in a large format store. A large home organization department features the sleek new line of exclusive SELECT edition® GE small appliances. The home department also contains a large infant section complete with a selection of baby cribs, youth furniture and infant car seats. Wal-Mart’s newly expanded electronics department offers the latest DVD players, music and other electronics, including a wall display of top brands in plasma and HDTV.

As a Supercenter, the store also contains a full line of grocery items, including bakery, delicatessen, meat, dairy, frozen foods, fresh produce and organic selections, as well as a complete liquor department. The store has a family apparel department highlighting Wal-Mart’s new George© line, organic Baby George clothing, health and beauty aids, household needs, toys, an expanded lawn and garden center, jewelry and shoes.

For added convenience, the Supercenter has a Tire & Lube Express, a vision center, a pharmacy with two drive-through lanes, a one-hour photo lab, a family fun center, and a Wal-Mart Connect Center. Additional leased space and services include a Regal Nails Salon, a Cost Cutters Hair Salon, a Subway restaurant, and a branch of Members Alliance Credit Union. The store will be open to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week with 18 full-service and eight express check-out lanes.

More than 1,000 applications for 400 new jobs
According to store manager Alicia Lawrence, the store has received more than 1,000 applications for the 400 new positions planned at the store.

“We have had many people interested in working at the store, and I think it’s because they see the benefits and career opportunities Wal-Mart has provided for many of their friends and neighbors in the state,” says Lawrence.
Lawrence, like more than 75 percent of Wal-Mart’s store managers, started as an hourly associate in menswear sales in Ottawa. Ten of the Rockton store’s associates have worked for Wal-Mart for more than 10 years.

As of February 2007, Wal-Mart employed 45,758 associates in the state of Illinois. Including the newest Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rockton, the company currently owns and operates the following facilities in the state:

$25,500 in Grants to Local Organizations
According to Lawrence, as part of the new store’s commitment to the community, the Rockton Wal-Mart Supercenter will announce $25,500 in donations to local organizations through Wal-Mart’s Good Works community involvement program. Like all Wal-Mart stores, the Rockton Wal-Mart will provide grant dollars throughout the year to help its neighborhood organizations. (Editors note: For a complete list of grant recipients, please see the Fact Sheet, attached.

Area organizations interested in learning more about funding from Wal-Mart or are interested in raising money at Wal-Mart stores can contact the store for details, or go to www.walmartfoundation.org.

Grand Opening Celebration
The grand opening ceremony begins at 7 a.m. with area dignitaries and local representatives present to share in the community celebration on March 14. Additional grand opening activities planned throughout the day include product samples, giveaways and character appearances.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, more than 127 million customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $245 million to local communities in the United States. To learn more, visit www.walmartfacts.com, www.walmartstores.com, or www.walmartfoundation.org.

EDITOR’S NOTES

Store Fast Facts

(See press kit at at the bottom of this release for details on energy efficiency areas.)

Basic Store Features

Employment

* Average wage taken December 2006. See www.walmartfacts.com for details.

Charitable Giving
$25,500 in charitable contributions to several area organizations: