Walmart Readies Electronics Area with New Products, Features and Technologies

Newly designed aisles and brand areas aim to simplify shopping experience

Bentonville, Ark. (May 19, 2009) – Walmart announced today its plans to add more new products and features to its consumer electronics area across its 3,500 stores. This week, market electronics managers and associates are preparing aisles, adding new signage and bringing out displays for new technologies to help keep customers staying connected, more mobile and enjoying new home entertainment experiences.

As a leading destination for electronics products and savings, Walmart this week takes continued steps forward to enhance its assortment of exciting new products in consumer electronics, while creating an “easy to find,” and fun, shopping experience for all customers.

Details about these new enhancements in Walmart’s Home Entertainment area include:

* New color-coded and branded signage in categories such as gaming, wireless and home office that organize assortment and simplify selection;
* Added assortment in Blu-ray players and movies, including a dedicated hi-definition “sound and sight” area that brings Blu-ray product, and “the experience,” together;
* Expanded assortment in HDTV, with more 1080p and 120HZ product and more sizes;
* An increase of 30% in its wireless product including an expansion and redesign of its Wireless World area, focusing solely on cellular and smart phone products and activation;
* A new display center for laptops allowing customers to touch and experience each unit and compare assortment in brands like HP, Dell, and Toshiba;
* New casing and assortment in portable devices and attachments, from silencing headphones for relaxation to colorful ear buds for the more active user;
* Display areas that showcase new technologies, trends and coming releases in areas like gaming and laptops.

“We know customers really value our ability to bring them the brands they trust, the right level of assortment, and the most affordable prices,” said Gary Severson, senior vice president, Home Entertainment, Walmart. “We want to continue to keep them engaged and inspired, making selection easier, and introducing more technologies that add comfort, fun and quality of life, for themselves and their families.”

Examples of new products and features introduced this week, or coming soon, include:

* $198 Philips Blu-ray Disc Player, in most stores this week;
* Dell’s Studio One 19 All-in-One touch screen desktop, exclusively at Walmart for a limited period, arriving in June;
* Expanded selection in Samsung, Sony, and Vizio, with new 46- and 52-inch models
* Expanded assortment in colorful 11 inch Acer netbooks at $298, in stores this week;
* Sony’s E-Reader portable E-Book (500 stores), extra bass headphones, and noise canceling headphones;
* More colorful and fashionable protectors and attachments for mobile and music items, such as “The Body Glove” to protect touch screen phone ($9.96);
* More cellular phones including the BlackBerry Bold for AT&T, Samsung Instinct s30 for Sprint, expanding distribution of the BlackBerry Storm with Verizon, and very soon introducing the Palm® Pre™ phone with Sprint in select stores.

“We’ve made a number of significant changes in the last three years to raise the bar in our offerings and gain consumer confidence and trust as an electronics destination,” added Severson, “and we have every intention of keeping that pace with continued improvements in service and assortment.”