CHICO While it's still planning to expand its Chico store into a super-center, WalMart is moving ahead with a remodeling that basically sets the stage.
Begun last month, the remodeling doesn't change the store's exterior, but creates a new interior, according to the retailer.
New shelving, new colors and new flooring are part of the remake, that the city values at $865,577.
"We're putting in low-profile shelving, bright paint scheme and easy to read signs," said WalMart corporate affairs director Tiffany Moffat, who said customer feedback helped make the decision. "We're always engaging customers to ensure the stores are clean, open and bright."
The remodeling is expected to be complete by late August. The store is open during the process.
Moffat said the company has hired 75 temporary employees to help during the remodeling, not counting the construction work. It regularly employs about 350.
Angie Stoner, WalMart senior manager public affairs, said the remodeling was planned before the expansion work got started.
"It's a priority for us to update the stores," Stoner said.
Last fall, WalMart announced that it would be remodeling 70 percent of its stores over the next five years. The Chico store opened in 1994.
WalMart's proposal to expand from 125,889 square-feet to 208,358 square-feet plus an 18,000-square-foot garden center will go to the Planning Commission on July 16. The expansion makes way for a grocery component.
After completing a draft EIR, the city pulled the document before a public hearing process got started in March 2008 to revise traffic and circulation information.
In addition, the EIR also addressed the expansion's impact on global climate change, saying there would be a less than significant cumulative impact.
If the retailer gets approval to expand, the construction could take 10 to 12 months.
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