45th Street Supercenter unveils next generation of Walmart stores
WEST PALM BEACH, 11, 2009 – The new Walmart Supercenter in West Palm Beach will celebrate its 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 4225 45th St., will open to customers at 8 a.m., Wednesday.
“We’re happy to welcome this latest Walmart store to West Palm Beach and are excited about the jobs it will create for local families,” said Mayor Lois J. Frankel. “We also look forward to Walmart’s furthering the company’s record of charitable giving and local involvement in our community.”
The West Palm Beach store is one of two Walmart Supercenters opening in Florida March 18. The other is located in Tallahassee. They are among the first stores in the country to feature the new Walmart logo and store design.
“At Walmart, we're committed to saving people money so they can live better,” Store Manager Cathy Foley-Franklin said. “In today's economy, our customers are looking to us to be an advocate and find solutions that save them money on their groceries and other products that their families need.”
New Features, Layout Improve Customer Experience
The new Supercenter features wider aisles, enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers than ever before. The new 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.
“In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh our stores, our merchandising and our customer experience,” said Foley-Franklin. “The improvements we’ve been making have all come together in our new store with faster service, a friendlier shopping experience and a cleaner store.”
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.
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.
Store Design Incorporates Environmentally Friendly Features
The West Palm Beach Super center, like all new Walmart stores, includes 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 faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms.
Supercenter Brings 350 Jobs to West Palm Beach
The Supercenter plans to employ approximately 350 associates, according to Foley-Franklin.
“Working for Walmart provides a number of job opportunities and choices for so many people, from seniors looking for supplemental income to young people just starting their work experience,” said Foley-Franklin. Like most Walmart store managers, she joined the company as an hourly associate. She joined the company in 1985, working in receiving at a store in Okeechobee.
Community Organizations Benefit from Grand-Opening Grants
As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, $15,000 in grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration. Associates at the West Palm Beach Super center selected the Daily Bread Food Bank to receive a $5,000 grant to support its hunger-relief efforts. The Village Baptist Church will receive a $2,500 grant to support its food pantry. Other recipients include the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County, Pop Warner Little Scholars and Urban Youth Development.
“As the newest neighbor in the community, we realize financial support to local organizations helps make a real difference,” said Foley-Franklin. “We are thrilled to provide these grants as part of our grand-opening celebration. I can assure you we will continue to play a leadership role in supporting the needs of West Palm and neighboring communities.”
Ribbon-Cutting Celebration 7:30 a.m., March 18
Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Rev. Patrick Moody, pastor of The Village Baptist Church, will offer an invocation and Walmart associate Andrea Douglas will perform the national anthem. Members of the local post of Veterans of Foreign Wars will present the colors during the ceremony. Throughout the day, customers will be able to enjoy character appearances, product samples and giveaways.
About Wal-Mart 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 (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.
EDITOR’S NOTES
• An invitation-only open house for grant recipients and other VIPs is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, March 14. It will include preview tours and check presentations to representatives of community organizations. Reporters and photographers are welcome.
• Store Manager Cathy Foley-Franklin is available for interviews and to arrange photo opportunities or tours. She can be reached at 561-683-8300.
FACT SHEET
West Palm Beach Walmart Super center
Store facts
* Location: 4225 45th Street, West Palm Beach, Fla.
* 176,311-square-foot Walmart Supercenter
* Store opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
* Store manager: Cathy Foley-Franklin
Store features
* Full line of groceries, bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, fresh produce and beer and wine.
* More than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, fine jewelry, a lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids, and a full line of electronics
* Convenience services include a pharmacy, digital photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center
* Leased areas and services include a Subway restaurant, SmartStyle Family Hair Care salon and a branch of Woodforest National Bank.
* Open 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week
Charitable giving
$15,000 in charitable contributions to the following area organizations
* Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County
* Daily Bread Food Bank
* Pop Warner Little Scholars
* The Village Baptist Church
* Urban Youth Development
Employment
* Store plans to employ approximately 350 associates
* Store manager Cathy Foley-Franklin started her career with Walmart in 1985 as an hourly associate, working in receiving at a store in Okeechobee.
* The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Florida is approximately $11.38 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 February 2009. See www.walmartstores.com for details.
Wal-Mart in Florida
As of February, Wal-Mart employed 90,835 associates and owned and operated the following facilities in Florida:
* Supercenters: 161
* Discount Stores: 40
* Neighborhood Markets: 21
* Sam’s Clubs: 42
* Distribution Centers: 6
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