Bella Terra Walmart Caters to Convenience
New Supercenter offers a glimpse into the next generation of Walmart store design RICHMOND, Texas, Nov. 7, 2008 – The newest Walmart Supercenter in Richmond will celebrate a grand opening this week, giving local shoppers a glimpse of the company’s next generation of store design and customer experience. The Supercenter, located at 5660 Grand Parkway West near the Westpark Tollway, will open to customers following a grand-opening ceremony at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. The new store features wider aisles, enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers than ever before. “In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh our stores, our merchandising and our customer experience,” said Store Manager Rodney Bankhead. “The improvements we’ve been making have all come together in the Richmond Supercenter resulting in a store that is cleaner, service that is faster and a feeling in our store that is friendlier.” The Richmond Supercenter is among the first stores in the country to feature the new Walmart logo. In June, Walmart announced that U.S. locations would update store logos as part of an ongoing evolution of its overall brand. Layout Improves Customer Experience
The 184,109 square-foot Supercenter is designed to make shopping easy for customers. The layout creates an open shopping environment with wider aisles that contain no product displays. Walmart also aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently. The pharmacy, for example, is adjacent to food making it easier for customers to pick up their prescriptions while shopping for their groceries. “The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said Bankhead. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase including health and beauty and pet supplies, we are making one-stop shopping even easier.” A bright interior color palette creates an inviting shopping experience and helps define the store’s merchandise areas. Lower shelving creates an improved sightline and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly. The new Supercenter also brings Walmart customers an expanded electronics department featuring a wide selection of the latest consumer electronics and home entertainment. The new design includes a more hands-on experience for customers with interactive displays for hi-definition Blu-ray, video gaming and portable electronics. The interactive experience makes it easier for shoppers to test new technology including laptops, cameras, phones and GPS units before they purchase. Walmart also combined the customer service desk, site to store pick-up location and photo lab in one area near the entrance. Customers now have easy access to these services, as well as associates on hand to help meet their needs. Supercenter to Make Holiday Shopping a Breeze
The new Supercenter will help customers get a jump on their holiday shopping while saving money. The store will feature a Christmas Shop where customers can meet all their holiday needs at affordable prices. Budget-conscious shoppers can find Christmas trees, ornaments, wrapping paper, lights and outside decor. “We believe our customers will be looking to stretch their dollars more than ever this holiday season,” said Bankhead. “Our store will provide affordable and convenient solutions to help customers meet their Christmas shopping needs. We look forward to offering unbeatable prices throughout the Christmas shopping season.” Store Design Incorporates Environmentally Friendly Features
The Richmond Supercenter, like all new Walmartludes energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. The store’s skylights harvest daylight and reduce the amount of energy required to light the store by up to 75 percent daily. LED lighting throughout the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting. Part of the cement used in the concrete flooring is made with recycled materials, and the floor’s finish reduces the need for chemical cleaners. Low-flow toilets and motion-sensitive faucets reduce the water used in the store’s bathrooms. The store also recycles everything from motor oil to waste cooking oil, and uses a sandwich bale process that takes all loose plastic, hangers, aluminum cans and office paper and sandwiches them between cardboard, bundles them into bales and sends them to recycling centers. Community Organizations Benefit from Grand Opening Grants
As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, the store is providing $18,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to seven local organizations. That support includes a grant to the food pantry outreach at PowerHouse Christian Center. The Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America will receive a grant to provide educational supplies at its six camps. Cinco Ranch, Morton Ranch and Travis high schools will also receive grants during the grand opening, as will the Community Fire Department and the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department. Supercenter Provides Jobs, Opportunity
The Supercenter plans to employ approximately 425 associates. Several associates have transferred to the Richmond store from existing Walmart locations, and nearly 80 have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years. Like most Walmart store managers, Bankhead started his career with the retailer as an hourly associate. He joined the company in 1994, gathering carts and stocking shelves at a store in Victoria. Ribbon-Cutting Celebration 7:30 a.m., Nov. 12
Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Greg LaPalomento from PowerHouse Christian Center in Katy will offer an invocation. Students from Travis High School will perform the national anthem, and local Boy Scouts will present the colors. Representatives from the Rosenberg-Richmond Chamber of Commerce will join Bankhead to cut the ribbon to the new store. Throughout the day, customers will be able to enjoy character appearances, product samples and giveaways. About Walmart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart 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. Walmart proudly supports the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods and last year gave more than $296 million to communities in the United States. To learn more, visit www.walmartstores.com or www.walmartfoundation.org. EDITOR’S NOTES
• Store Manager Rodney Bankhead is available for interviews and to arrange photo opportunities or tours. He can be reached at 832-595-0322. FACT SHEET
Richmond Walmart Supercenter Store facts - Location: 5660 Grand Parkway West, Richmond, Texas
- 184,109 square-foot Walmart Supercenter
- Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 12, after a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
- Store manager: Rodney Bankhead
Store features - Full line of groceries, bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, fresh produce, beer and wine
- More than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, fine jewelry, a lawn and garden center with drive-through loading area, health and beauty aids, and a full line of electronics
- Convenience services include a digital photo processing center, Walmart Connect Center and a pharmacy with two drive-through lanes
- Leased areas and services include a McDonald’s restaurant, a branch of Woodforest National Bank and a CHRISTUS Health clinic to treat common ailments and provide preventive screenings.
- Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Charitable giving
$18,000 in charitable contributions to seven area organizations - Cinco Ranch High School
- Community Fire Department
- Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department
- Morton Ranch High School
- PowerHouse Christian Center
- Sam Houston Area Council of Boy Scouts of America
- Travis High School
Employment - Store plans to employ approximately 425 associates
- More than 80 of the store’s associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years
- Store Manager Rodney Bankhead started his career with Walmart as an hourly associate at a store in Victoria
- The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Texas is approximately $10.84 per hour*
- Walmart benefits – available to eligible full- and part-time associates – include health insurance with no lifetime maximum. Walmart 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 September 2008. See www.walmartstores.com for details. For more information # # #
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