Relocated Super Center adds grocery and 160 new jobs
UNION, S.C., March 12, 2009 – Union County residents can now add groceries to the list of items they save money on at the Union Walmart. By relocating to a Super Center, the store now offers a full grocery department and expanded merchandise selection. The Super Center opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 18.
“We are growing with our community. By becoming a Super Center, we can help customers find everything on their shopping list in one place,” Store Manager Barry Medford said. “Local residents are looking for ways to save money on everyday essentials. We can now offer our customers savings on staples such as milk, eggs and fresh fruits and vegetables, all at unbeatable prices.”
Located at 513 N. Duncan Bypass, the Super Center has more than doubled its square footage with the relocation. The store will not only save local shoppers time and money but also will strengthen the city’s economy by adding to the tax base. Local leaders are excited about the store’s economic impact.
“We appreciate Walmart’s continued investment in our community and our local economy,” said Mayor Harold Thompson. “We are excited that we no longer have to drive a long distance to shop at Super Centers in other locations. We look forward to shopping at our new and larger Walmart, right here in Union.”
The Union store is one of two Walmart Supercenters opening in South Carolina March 18. The other is located in Laurens. They are among the first stores to feature the new Walmart logo.
Layout Improves Customer Experience
In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh its stores, merchandising and customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company’s newest stores, such as the Union store, offering customers faster service, a friendlier shopping experience and cleaner stores.
The Super Center is also 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 stores is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said Medford. “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.
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.
Super Center Adds 160 Jobs
The Super Center plans to employ approximately 300 associates, including approximately 160 positions added by the relocation.
“I’m delighted to be a part of this relocation, as we now have the opportunity to provide additional jobs and career opportunities to the community,” said Medford.
Like most Walmart store managers, Medford first joined the company as an hourly associate. In 1981, he started working at the Union store as a stockman, before transferring to other stores and advancing through the company’s management program. He returned to Union in 2007 to prepare for the opening of the new Super Center. He is among 59 of the Union store’s associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years.
Community Organizations Benefit from Grand Opening Grants
As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, $10,000 in grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration. Associates at the Union Super Center selected the local Meals on Wheels organization to receive a $5,000 grant to help it deliver hot meals to area seniors during the week. Other recipients include the Union County Council on Aging and the Union County Historical Society
“With these grand-opening grants, we wanted to support agencies that help families through hard times and contribute to a higher quality of life in our community,” said Medford.
Store Design Incorporates Environmentally Friendly Features
The Union 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.
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.
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. Brad Goodale from Phillipi Baptist Church will offer an invocation and the Color Guard from Union County High School will present the colors. Students from Union High School will perform the national anthem and Walmart associate Jonathan Moss will also perform during the ceremony. Throughout the day, customers will be able to enjoy character appearances and product samples.
FACT SHEET
Union Walmart Super Center
Store facts
* Location: 513 N. Duncan Bypass, Union, S.C.
* Originally opened in 1981 at 441 N. Duncan Bypass
* 153,430-square-foot Walmart Supercenter, gaining an additional 82,000 square feet
* Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, March 18, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
* Store manager: W. Barry Medford
Store features
* Full line of groceries, bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, fresh produce
* 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 SmartStyle Family Hair Care salon and a branch of Woodforest National Bank.
* Open 7 a.m. to midnight, 7 days a week
Charitable giving
$10,000 in charitable contributions to the following area organizations
* Union County Council on Aging
* Union County Historical Society
* Union County Meals on Wheels
Employment
* Store plans to employ approximately 300 associates, including approximately 160 new jobs created by the relocation.
* Fifty-nine of the store’s associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years.
* Store Manager Barry Medford started his career with Walmart as an hourly associate in 1981, working as a stock man at the Union store.
* The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in South Carolina is approximately $11.21 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
WalMart in South Carolina
As of February, WalMart employed 27,130 associates and owned and operated the following facilities in South Carolina:
* Supercenters: 63
* Discount Stores: 8
* Sam’s Clubs: 9
* Distribution Centers: 2
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