Walmart Brings Market-style Store to East Springdale

Newest area store celebrates grand opening with $22,500 in local grants, 90 new jobs

SPRINGDALE, Ark., Jan. 2, 2009 – Northwest Arkansas’ newest Walmart Neighborhood Market provides quick, convenient access to low-cost groceries, prescriptions and household products, as well as ongoing charitable support to local nonprofit organizations. As part of its commitment to the community, the store is awarding $22,500 in grants to area organizations during its grand-opening festivities Jan. 7.

Doors to the new store will open at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 7, following a 7:30 a.m. ceremony. The store is conveniently located at 3553 E. Robinson Ave., which is also known as Highway 412 East. The store is the first to open in the new Butterfield Coach Shopping Center, where it will serve as the anchor for the small shopping center.

Grand Opening Grants Total $22,500
Associates of the new East Springdale store selected six organizations to receive grants from the Walmart Foundation at the grand opening ceremonies. The Salvation Army will receive $5,000 to support its soup kitchen, which serves an estimated 100 people every day. Other $5,000 grants will go to Peace at Home, a shelter for survivors of domestic violence, and the Jones Center for Families. Other grant recipients include Harp Elementary School and the Fayetteville Veterans Nursing Home.

The Walmart Foundation recently gave a separate $1 million grant to the agency as the lead gift for the Children’s House relocation and expansion.

“Walmart’s support makes a big difference to our agency and others in communities all across the country,” said Kathleen Randall, executive director of the EOA. “We are very appreciative of its commitment to helping those in need have better lives.”

Store Manager Christie Craig said, “Walmart’s community support goes far beyond charitable giving. Our associates are excited about volunteering their time and holding fundraisers to make a positive impact in this area.” Like all Walmart stores, the new store will make contributions throughout the year. Groups interested in learning more about funding from Walmart can contact the store for details or go to www.walmartfoundation.org.

Store Provides 90 Local Jobs
The Neighborhood Market plans to employ approximately 90 associates. The average wage for full-time hourly Walmart associates in Arkansas is $10.77 per hour.*

“Walmart provides job opportunities and career choices for everyone,” Craig said. The Arkansas native started her career with Walmart in 1997 as an hourly associate, working part-time as a cashier at a store in Ozark, Ark.

Store Features
The 39,690-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market, which will be open 24 hours a day, carries a full line of groceries, including a large produce section with items displayed in wooden bins and crates to create the feel of a local farmers’ market. The open-air design of the store’s delicatessen allows customers to see fresh rotisserie chickens cooking throughout the day. The deli also offers a wide variety of meats, cheeses and prepared foods. Customers can pick up cakes, ice cream cakes, freshly made pastries and breads in the bakery.

“Whether our customers are doing their weekly shopping or picking up a single item, they will enjoy the convenience of having our store in the area,” Craig said.

The store’s pharmacy offers drive-through service to customers dropping off or picking up prescriptions. Customers will appreciate the Springdale store’s updated look and feel, with its low-profile counters in the pharmacy and throughout the health and beauty area and curved counters in the cosmetics. Additional areas include stationery, paper goods, pet products and hardware items. Customers can also print their own digital photos at the store.

Store Design Incorporates Environmentally Friendly Features
The Neighborhood Market, like all new Walmartludes energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. LED lighting throughout the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting. As part of a heat-loss reclamation system, the refrigeration system is used to heat water while other energy is also captured for use throughout the store. The dairy cooler features a roll-up door that closes automatically to prevent the cold air from escaping.

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. Outside, the store has been landscaped with lots of native vegetation, and a drip irrigation system was installed that uses water more effectively than traditional sprinklers. Both the base and the top layer of the parking lot are constructed from recycled materials.

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. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (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. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.

EDITOR’S NOTES

Store Manager Christie Craig is available for interviews about the grand opening. She can be reached at 479-750-4683.
Walmart information online: www.walmartstores.com; merchandise sales: www.walmart.com
The terms “Walmart” and “Walmart Stores” refer to the corporate entity. “Walmart,” expressed as one word and without hyphenation, refers to the brand name of the company’s U.S. operations. This distinction came after the Company announced the introduction of a new logo for its U.S. store operations in June.

*Average wage taken December 2008. See www.walmartstores.com for more details.

FACT SHEET
East Springdale Walmart Neighborhood Market

Store fast facts

Location: 3553 E. Robinson Ave., Springdale, Ark.
Grand-opening ceremony: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7; doors to open at 8 a.m.
Store Manager: Christie Craig

Store features

Store size is 39,690 square feet
Wide variety of products, including fresh produce, fresh meat and dairy items, health and beauty aids, pharmacy, stationery and paper goods, pet supplies and household cleaning supplies
Delicatessen features a wide range of fresh prepared foods, including rotisserie chicken, sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages.
Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Charitable giving
$22,500 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to the following community organizations:

Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County
Fayetteville Veterans Nursing Home
Harp Elementary School
Jones Center for Families
Peace at Home
The Salvation Army

Employment

Approximately 90 new positions planned
The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Arkansas is $10.77 per hour*
Store Manager Christie Craig began her career with Walmart in 1997 as an hourly associate, working part-time as a cashier at a store in Ozark, Ark.
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, business performance-based bonuses, stock purchase program and life insurance

* Average wage taken December 2008. See www.walmartstores.com for details.

Walmart in Arkansas
As of December, Walmart employed 49,413 associates and owned and operated the following facilities in Arkansas:

Supercenters: 67
Discount Stores: 16
Neighborhood Markets: 7
Sam’s Clubs: 7
Distribution Centers: 20

Arkansas News

Walmart in the News

Walmart Brings Market-style Store to East Springdale

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