Garland Supercenter Focuses on Local Preferences
Innovative energy-efficient store anchors neighborhood revitalization GARLAND, Texas, May 1, 2008 – Distinctive elements and special features abound throughout the new Wal-Mart Supercenter opening May 7 in Garland. Customers at the newly relocated store will find a merchandise mix created with their preferences in mind, including family-oriented departments, bold colors and popular foods. The store is also built to minimize its impact on the environment as the latest of Wal-Mart’s High-Efficiency stores to open. Located at 1801 Marketplace Dr., the store anchors the 48-acre Centerville Marketplace West shopping district near the intersections of LBJ Freeway/Interstate 635, Northwest Highway and Saturn Road. The city of Garland spearheaded the effort to replace a dilapidated apartment complex and other properties and then attract new development. The store is part of a neighborhood revitalization effort that brings new energy to a formerly declining area. Local officials and community leaders will join Wal-Mart representatives to celebrate the store’s opening with a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony May 7, followed by an all-day celebration. “It’s been wonderful to see this area revitalized and experience the enthusiasm surrounding our opening,” said Store Manager Daryl Scoggins. He was born and raised in Garland, graduating from Garland High School in 1984. He chose to return to the area to manage the new Supercenter. “I am so excited about coming home to Garland,” he said. “The city of Garland acted on its vision to replace blighted properties with a center bustling with retail, restaurants and other businesses. I’m proud to be a part of it.” The Garland store is the latest High-Efficiency Wal-Mart Supercenter to open. The HE.2 store is designed to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use 25 percent less energy than a typical Wal-Mart Supercenter. By incorporating some of the most innovative products in building today, the HE.2 prototype uses many of the energy improvements from the first generation High-Efficiency (HE.1) stores, such as the one in nearby Highland Village. HE.2 stores feature industry-leading advancements such as integrated heating, cooling and refrigeration systems, and lighting innovations to conserve energy. (Editors’ Note: See page four for more information on High-Efficiency stores.) Store Designed for Local Tastes
Since its original opening in 1987, the Garland store has focused on serving the needs of the nearby community. With its relocation, the 195,912-square-foot store features a full line of groceries and several new time-saving features and services. Wal-Mart paid attention to the shopping patterns and preferences of its customers and designed the store to reflect the local community. As a result, the store will make fresh corn and flour tortillas and chips daily. The deli will also offer fresh-baked bolillo and pandulce, and the produce department will include an expanded selection of bananas, plantains, chilies and spices. Customers can pick up bulk packages of specially marinated meat, rice and beans. Near the entrance, shoppers will find a La Micha juice bar and a special shop with merchandise for the latest holiday or upcoming sporting event. Customers will enjoy shopping with their families throughout the store, including its new youth-oriented department that displays children’s furniture, bedding and home décor together. Bold colors, popular brands and the latest fashions fill the store’s apparel and home décor sections. The store also has expanded its selection of children’s and infant apparel and accessories. In addition to the latest electronics, the store offers a wide variety of Spanish-language music, movies, games and other entertainment choices. The new Supercenter will have a Wal-Mart MoneyCenter to assist customers who are outside of mainstream banking with convenient access to low-cost money services, including check cashing, money orders, bill payment and money transfers. For added convenience, there will be a vision center, a pharmacy with two drive-through lanes, a digital photo processing center and a Wal-Mart Connect Center for wireless phone sales. Leased areas and services include a SmartStyle Family Hair Care salon, DaVi Nails salon, a Subway restaurant and a branch of First Convenience Bank. Commitment to Community Continues with $18,000 in Grants
As part of Wal-Mart’s commitment to the communities in which they operate, the newly relocated store is continuing its support of the area by contributing $18,000 to local charitable organizations. The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club will receive a $5,000 contribution to help with its after-school programs. Garland Summer Musicals will receive a $2,500 grant to underwrite scholarships and youth-oriented productions. Garland High School will receive a $2,500 grant to upgrade computers used in its classrooms. Other grants will provide support to the families of police officers and fire fighters who have died in the line of duty and help members of the military who have suffered spinal cord injuries. “In addition to cash contributions, we’ve supported these agencies and other community charitable efforts for years by hosting fund-raisers, providing volunteers, and giving in-kind merchandise donations,” Scoggins said. “We think of them as our community partners and consider it a privilege to support the good work they do.” Wal-Mart Provides Local Jobs
The store plans to employ approximately 650 associates upon opening. Due to its relocation, the Supercenter has added more than 175 jobs. “Many associates joined because they know they have the opportunity for a long-lasting career at Wal-Mart,” Scoggins said. Like three-fourths of Wal-Mart store management, Scoggins started his own career with the company as an hourly associate. He joined the company in 1994, gathering carts and stocking shelves at a store in Benton, Ark. He is one of 52 of the store’s associates who have worked for Wal-Mart for more than 10 years. Ribbon-cutting Celebration 7:30 a.m., May 7
Community and business leaders will join Wal-Mart associates for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 7, and doors to the new store will open at 8 a.m. Throughout the day, activities will include numerous product samples, character appearances and giveaways. About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of 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 $296 million to local communities in the United States. To learn more, visit www.walmartstores.com, or www.walmartfoundation.org. EDITOR’S NOTES
• An invitation-only open house for VIPs, Wal-Mart associates and their families is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. Preview tours will be provided and checks will be presented to representatives from community organizations. Reporters and photographers are welcome.
• Daryl Scoggins, store manager, can provide details about the grand opening, offer quotes for interviews and arrange for photo opportunities or tours. He can be reached at 972-278-8077.
STORE FACT SHEET
Garland Wal-Mart Supercenter Store facts
• Location: 1801 Marketplace Dr., Garland, Texas
• Originally opened in 1987 at 3159 Garland Ave.
• 195,912-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, May 7, after a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Daryl Scoggins Store features
• Full line of groceries, bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, fresh produce, beer and wine section.
• Merchandise departments include apparel and accessories, fine jewelry, lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids and a full line of electronics.
• Convenience services include a money center, vision center, digital photo processing center, Wal-Mart Connect Center and a pharmacy with two drive-through lanes.
• Leased areas and services include a La Micha juice bar, SmartStyle Family Hair Salon, DaVi Nail salon, a Subway restaurant and a branch of First Convenience Bank.
• Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Twenty full-service and 10 express check-out lanes Charitable giving
$18,000 in charitable contributions to eight area organizations - City of Garland Parks and Recreation Department
- Garland Civic Theatre
- Garland High School
- Garland Summer Musicals
- Guns N Hoses Foundation
- Paralyzed Veterans of America
- The Achievement Center of Texas
- The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club
Employment
• The Supercenter plans to employ approximately 650 associates upon its opening. Due to its relocation, the store has added more than 175 associates.
• Fifty-two of the store’s associates have worked for Wal-Mart for more than 10 years.
• Store Manager Daryl Scoggins was born and raised in Garland. He started his Wal-Mart career in 1994 as an hourly associate, working as a cart pusher at a store in Benton, Ark.
• The average wage at Wal-Mart for full-time hourly associates in Texas is approximately $10.55 per hour.*
• Wal-Mart benefits – available to eligible full- and part-time associates – include healthcare insurance with no lifetime maximum. Wal-Mart also offers a 401(k) plan and profit sharing contributions, whether an associate contributes or not, store discount cards, company performance-based bonuses, stock purchase program and life insurance.
* Average wage taken April 2008. See www.walmartstores.com for details. HIGH-EFFICIENCY STORE INFORMATION
Garland Wal-Mart Supercenter The Garland, Texas, store is the fourth Wal-Mart Supercenter classified as an HE.2 energy-efficient prototype. The stores are located in a variety of climate zones to evaluate how the systems perform and expected to use 20 percent less energy than a typical Supercenter. The stores feature industry-leading advancements such as integrated heating, cooling and refrigeration systems, and lighting innovations to conserve energy. In July 2005, Wal-Mart opened the first of its experimental stores in nearby McKinney, Texas, followed by the opening of a similar store in Aurora, Colo., in November 2005, with the hope that successful experiments could someday be incorporated into new store prototypes. The Garland High-Efficiency store brings many of these experiments to life.
• To achieve a 25 percent overall energy reduction, the Garland store uses a 100 percent integrated water-source format heating, cooling and refrigeration system, where water is harnessed to heat and cool the building.
• The store also introduces a number of new and improved technologies, such as a state-of-the-art secondary loop refrigeration system, to gain a 5 percent improvement in energy efficiency over an HE.1 store. This improvement comes from a streamlined design of the water-source heating, cooling and refrigeration system, coupled with the new secondary refrigeration loop. This is the first time secondary loop technology has been paired with a water-source system. Additional Energy-Efficient Store components include:
• Motion-activated light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in refrigerated and freezer cases, plus additional glass doors on deli and dairy cases
• Optimized pump package that is 50 percent smaller than the HE.1 store and uses even less copper piping
• Industry-leading daylight harvesting technology
• Reflective white membrane roof
• Recycled construction materials such as fly-ash, slag, integrally colored concrete floors, and plastic baseboards and chair rails
• A state-of-the-art Munters Dehumidification system is expected to increase overall store energy-efficiency by roughly two percent.
• Restroom sinks use sensor-activated, low-flow faucets. The low-flow faucets reduce water flow by 84 percent, while the sensors save approximately 20 percent in water usage over similar, manually-operated systems.
In 2007, Wal-Mart opened a series of HE.1 stores in Kansas City, Mo.; Rockton, Ill.; and Highland Village, Texas. In January 2008, the first HE.2 prototype store opened in Romeoville, Ill. Others have since opened in Bernalillo, N.M., and Wichita, Kan.
Wal-Mart is now introducing its next generation of energy-efficient U.S. stores, the HE.5 prototype. The first HE.5 prototype opened in Las Vegas in March 2008.. These stores use up to 45 percent less energy than the baseline Supercenter. Building upon learnings from previous high efficiency stores Wal-Mart opened in 2007 and 2008, the HE.5 begins a new series of prototypes designed for specific climates.
The retailer’s high efficiency series of HE.1, HE.2 and HE.5 stores build upon many years of research, experiments, partnerships and pilots, and will ultimately help Wal-Mart reach its goal to design and open a viable store prototype that is 25-30 percent more energy efficient by 2009.
Wal-Mart customers are increasingly becoming familiar with the company’s energy-saving innovations as they are introduced in stores opening across the country. Many new stores now feature daylight-harvesting systems that minimize electricity usage during periods of bright sunlight, motion sensor-driven LED refrigerated and freezer case lighting and polished concrete floors that reduce the need for harsh chemical cleaning products. # # #
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