Reading Walmart Adds More Savings with Expanded Store
Store adds full line of groceries and 140 new jobs READING, Pa., Oct. 7, 2009 – The wait is over for residents in Reading eager to see their Walmart at 5900 Perkiomen Ave. bring savings on a full line of groceries and a wide assortment of new products and services. The new Walmart is designed to make shopping easy for customers. The store’s expansion brings 140 new jobs to the community. The store will unveil the new expansion to customers at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 14 after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony.
New Layout Improves Customer Experience
The Reading Walmart also features a new layout and updated design. In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh its stores, its merchandise and its customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company’s newest stores with faster service, a friendlier shopping experience and cleaner stores.
The new layout creates an open shopping environment with wider aisles that contain no product displays. Lower shelving throughout the store creates an improved sightline and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly.
Expanded Walmart Adds 140 New Jobs
The store plans to employ approximately 380 associates, including approximately 140 positions created by the expansion.
Store Design Incorporates Environmentally Friendly Features
The Reading store, like all new Walmart stores, includes 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. Low-flow toilets and faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms.
Community Organizations Benefit from Grand-Opening Grants
The store is continuing its support of the community by giving $26,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to 13 local organizations. The grant recipients include: Arthritis Foundation, Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter; Exeter Community Education Foundation; Exeter Police Department; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Dove’s Nest; Foundation for Reading Area Community College; Greater Berks Food Bank; Holly Heilman Cancer Fund of Berks County; Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania; Miller-Keystone Blood Center; Opportunity House; 4 Paws for Ability; Reading Beautification, Inc. and Shriners Hospitals for Children.
About Walmart
Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart stores, 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 (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 $378 million to local communities in the United States. FACT SHEET
Reading Walmart Store facts - Location: 5900 Perkiomen Ave., Reading, Pa.
- 195,000-square-foot Walmart
- Store opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony
- Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Store features - Full line of groceries including a bakery, a deli serving fresh food and meal solutions for moms, meat and dairy products and fresh produce
- More than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids, and an expanded electronics department
- Convenience services include a pharmacy, digital photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center
- Leased areas and services include a Regal Nail salon, a SmartStyle Family Hair Care salon, a Dunkin Donuts restaurant and a Wood Forrest bank
Charitable giving - $26,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to the following area organizations:
- Arthritis Foundation, Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter
- Exeter Community Education Foundation
- Exeter Police Department
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Dove’s Nest
- Foundation for Reading Area Community College
- Greater Berks Food Bank
- Holly Heilman Cancer Fund of Berks County
- Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania
- Miller-Keystone Blood Center
- Opportunity House
- 4 Paws for Ability
- Reading Beautification, Inc.
- Shriners Hospitals for Children
Employment - Store plans to employ approximately 380 associates, including approximately 140 positions added by the expansion.
- The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Pennsylvania is approximately $11.44 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 May 2009. See www.walmartstores.com for details.
For More Information - Store Shift Manager, Jodi Whyte, is available for interviews and to arrange photo opportunities or tours. She can be reached at 610-582-0505.
- Walmart information online: www.walmartstores.com; merchandise sales: www.walmart.com
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