New store adds full line of groceries and 150 new jobs
ORLAND HILLS, Ill., March 11, 2009 – The wait is over for residents in Orland Hills eager to see their Walmart on 159th Street become a full Super center, bringing savings to local shoppers on a full line of groceries and a wide assortment of new products and services. The Supercenter will open to customers at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, after a 7 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This new Walmart Super center is a ‘Godsend’ for Orland Hills,” said Mayor Kyle R. Hastings. “Walmart has been a great business partner in Orland Hills since 1991, and this project clearly demonstrates how good things can come from mutual respect and cooperation between business and government.”
The store originally opened in October 1991 in the Orland Towne Center shopping center. With the relocation next door, the store gained an additional 84,000 square feet including a full line of groceries. The original store will soon be demolished to increase the store’s parking.
“We have a loyal customer base and some have been shopping here since our original opening more than 18 years ago,” said Store Manager Craig Harrison. “We think they’ll love the easy-to-shop layout of the new Super center and appreciate the savings we offer on the products they are looking for.”
The Orland Hills store is one of two Walmart Super centers opening in Illinois March 18. The other is located in Beardstown. Walmart is opening 10 Supercenters across the country in March. They are among the first stores in the country to feature the new Walmart logo.
Layout Improves Customer Experience
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, such as the Orland Hills Super center, with faster service, a friendlier shopping experience and cleaner stores.
The new Super center 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.
“The layout of the stores is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities at our unbeatable prices,” said Harrison. “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.”
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.
Supercenter Adds 150 New Jobs
The Supercenter plans to employ approximately 450 associates, including approximately 150 positions created by the relocation. Sixty-nine of the Orland Hills store’s associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years and 15 have worked at the store since it originally opened in 1991.
“Joining Walmart was a great career decision for me, as it has been for so many of my fellow associates,” Harrison said. “It makes me proud to work for this company where there are unlimited opportunities. Many associates joined because they know they have the opportunity for a long-lasting career at Walmart.”
Store Design Incorporates Environmentally Friendly Features
The Orland Hills 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.
Community Organizations Benefit from Grand-Opening Grants
The newly relocated Super center is continuing its support of the area by giving $11,500 in grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation to local organizations. That support includes a $5,000 grant to the Wolves Youth Athletic Association for its recreational and organized sports activities for Orland Hills youth. Associates also chose to honor the late senior director Kay Gnech with a $2,000 donation to the fund set up in her memory to support activities for area senior citizens.
The Orland Township Food Pantry, Orland Fire Protection District and Village of Orland Hills Police Department will each receive a $1,500 grant to support their operations. The police department plans to use its grant to purchase a portable automatic defibrillator, and the fire department will use its funding toward fire-fighting and emergency response equipment.
“In addition to grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation, we’ve supported these agencies and other community charitable efforts for years by hosting fundraisers, providing volunteers and giving in-kind merchandise donations,” said Harrison. “We think of them as our partners and consider it a privilege to support the good work they do.”
Ribbon-Cutting Celebration 7 a.m., March 18
Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7 a.m. Wednesday for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Rev. Michael McCartney, pastor of Christian Hills Full Gospel Church, will offer an invocation and Walmart associate David Range will perform the national anthem. Members of the local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will present the colors. Mayor Hastings and Chamber of Commerce President Robin Wagner will join Harrison to cut the ribbon to the new store. 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, super centers, 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.
FACT SHEET
Orland Hills Walmart Supercenter
Store facts
* Location: 9245 W. 159th St., Orland Hills, Ill.
* 195,458-square-foot Walmart Supercenter, gaining an additional 84,000 square feet
* Store opens at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, following a 7 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
* Store manager: Craig Harrison
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 with drive-through loading area, health and beauty aids, and a full line of electronics
* Convenience services include a pharmacy with two drive-through lanes, vision center, digital photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center
* Leased areas and services include a Subway restaurant, portrait studio, SmartStyle Family Hair Care salon and a branch of Woodforest National Bank.
* Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Charitable giving
$11,500 in charitable contributions to the following area organizations
* Orland Fire Protection District
* Orland Township Food Pantry
* Village of Orland Hills Kay Gnech Memorial Senior Fund
* Village of Orland Hills Police Department
* Wolves Youth Athletic Association
Employment
* Store plans to employ approximately 450 associates, including approximately 150 positions created by the relocation.
* Sixty-nine of the store’s associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years.
* Fifteen associates have worked at the store since it originally opened in 1991.
* The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Illinois is approximately $11.67 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
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