New store offers customer savings on full line of groceries
TAYLOR, Mich., April 9, 2008 – Residents in the Downriver Area will soon have increased shopping options and convenience when the newly expanded Wal-Mart at 7555 Telegraph Road opens as a Supercenter at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 9. The store will offer local residents a full line of groceries featuring selections from local suppliers.
Catering to the needs of the local community, the store will showcase a selection of merchandise from local suppliers such as Dearborn Sausage, Chuck and Dave’s Salsa and Steve’s Backroom Pita Breads.
“Today, families are looking for value without long driving distances,” said Store Manager Chris Coffman. “Offering residents everything they need in one location is one of the many benefits of Supercenter shopping.”
Supercenter Expands Selection and Services
The new Supercenter will now offer customers around-the-clock convenience and low-price groceries including bakery goods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, fresh produce and a variety of organic offerings. The store also has a full deli with a wide variety of fresh prepared foods including rotisserie chicken, sandwiches and salads. Customers can pick up decorated cakes and freshly made pastries and breads in the bakery. The bakery can also personalize cakes for any occasion.
Customers will enjoy the store’s expansive selection of merchandise in all departments, including apparel and accessories, sporting goods, lawn and garden, electronics, home décor, fine jewelry and health and beauty, a one-hour photo lab, a vision center, a pharmacy a Tire & Lube Express and a Wal-Mart Connect Center for wireless phone sales. Leased areas include a Blimpie’s restaurant, a SmartStyle Family Hair Salon and a Flagstar Bank branch.
The new Supercenter will have a Wal-Mart MoneyCenter to assist customers who are outside of mainstream banking with convenient access to low-cost money services, including check cashing, money orders, bill payment and money transfers. With Wal-Mart’s every day low pricing, customers can save 25 to 50 percent or more over other leading money service providers. Customers can also get a Wal-Mart Money Card, which is a prepaid reloadable Visa card that provides many of the features and conveniences of a checking account and credit card without a credit check or the need for a bank account.
Energy Efficient Features in Store Design
The store improvements were constructed using energy efficient technology. The freezer cases and non-sales areas of the store have LED lights and motion sensors that automatically shut off the lights when those areas are unoccupied or customers are not present. LED lighting throughout the store operates 70 percent more efficiently that traditional fluorescent lighting.
Expansion Brings New Jobs
The new store plans to employ nearly 600 associates, including 210 new positions created by the expansion.
“Wal-Mart gives associates the opportunity to advance and build a career,” said Coffman who began his Wal-Mart career in 1988 at a store in Harrison, Ark. Coffman is among more than 76 percent of store manager who started as hourly associates.
Ten of the store associates have worked for Wal-Mart for more than 10 years. The average wage at Wal-Mart for regular full-time hourly associates in Michigan is approximately $10.88 per hour.*
Focus on Community with Initial Grants to Local Schools and Organizations
Coffman said the new Supercenter will continue to provide support for local causes, beginning with the donation of $18,000 in grants benefiting various organizations in the community. Among the grant recipients is the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, which will receive $5,000.
“We are so proud to be part of this community and to show our continued support,” Coffman said. “We are thrilled to celebrate our opening by contributing to local organizations.”
Grand Opening Activities
To celebrate the new store opening, local residents are invited to attend the 8 a.m. grand opening activities. Taylor Council Chairman Douglas A. Griss will join Coffman in cutting the ribbon and officially opening the store at 7:30 a.m. The Taylor Veterans of Foreign Wars will present the colors. Other activities planned during the celebration include product samples and give-aways.
Wal-Mart in Michigan
As of March 2008, Wal-Mart employed 31,712 associates in Michigan and owned and operated the following facilities in the state:
• Supercenters: 65
• Discount Stores: 19
• Sam’s Clubs: 26
• Distribution Centers: 1
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week millions of customers visit Wal-Mart 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. To learn more, visit www.walmartfacts.com, www.walmartstores.com, or www.walmartfoundation.org.
EDITOR’S NOTES
• An invitation-only open house for VIPs, Wal-Mart associates and their families is scheduled for Thursday, April 8, at 4 p.m.. Preview tours will be provided. Reporters and photographers are welcome. The majority of grants will be presented to area organizations at this event.
• Store Manager Chris Coffman can provide details about the grand opening, offer quotes for interviews and arrange for photo opportunities or preview tours. He can be contacted at 313-292-3474.
FACT SHEET
Taylor Wal-Mart Supercenter
Store fast facts
• Location: 7555 Telegraph Road; Taylor, Mich.
• 211,951-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter
• Store opening Wednesday, April 9, at 7:30 a.m. following a grand opening ceremony
• Store manager: Chris Coffman
Charitable giving $18,000
$18,000 in charitable contributions to area organizations:
- Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan
- City of Taylor
- Penrickton Center for Blind Children
- Taylor Public School Foundation for Educational Excellence
- The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International
Store features
• Full line of groceries, bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, fresh produce, beer and wine sales, apparel and accessories, fine jewelry, health and beauty aids, toys, vision center, garden center, Tire & Lube Express, Blimpie’s restaurant, one-hour photo lab, SmartStyle Family Hair Salon, a pharmacy and a Wal-Mart Connect Center.
• Wal-Mart MoneyCenter, offering low-cost money services, including check cashing, money orders, bill payment and money transfers
• Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Employment
• The store plans to employ approximately 600 associates, adding 210 planned new associates with the expansion.
• Store Manager Chris Coffman began his career at Wal-Mart as a stockman in Harrison, Ark. in 1988.
• The average wage at Wal-Mart for regular full-time hourly associates in Michigan is approximately $10.88 per hour.*
• Wal-Mart benefits – available to full- and part-time associates – include healthcare insurance with no lifetime maximum. Wal-Mart 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 2008. See www.walmartfacts.com for details.
For more information
• Store manager: Chris Coffman, 313-292-3474
• Wal-Mart information online: www.walmartfacts.com; merchandise sales: www.walmart.com.
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