Pearl Walmart Unveils New Design

Renovated store offers a glimpse into the next generation of shopping

PEARL, Miss., June 11, 2010 – The Pearl Walmart, located at 5520 Highway 80 E., will celebrate a grand re-opening this week, giving local shoppers a glimpse of the company’s next generation of store design and customer experience. The results of a three-month remodeling project will be unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m., Friday, June 18. Among the many improvements are a new layout, wider aisles, low-profile shelving, bright interior paint scheme, enhanced lighting and easy-to-read signage to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers.

“We listened to our customers and have redesigned the store to make shopping at Walmart even easier,” said store manager Luke Gleason.

“The Pearl Walmart is a vital part of our city, not only in the goods and services that they offer, but also the many jobs that it supplies to our citizens or the tax revenue that it collects. Our Walmart is an outstanding community partner that is involved in local civic clubs, school functions and numerous other events that improve the lives of our citizens,” said Kathy Deer, executive director of the Pearl Chamber of Commerce. “In recent years, Walmart was honored as our “Large Business of the Year” and store manager Luke Gleason was awarded the “Pillar of the Community” for his continuous dedication to our community. We feel truly blessed to have Walmart and this great management team in our city.”

The remodeled Pearl store features a more open shopping environment with wider aisles that contain no product displays. Walmart also aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently, making it quicker to purchase everyday items.

“The new layout is easier to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for necessities,” said Gleason.

A bright interior paint scheme and enhanced lighting create a more inviting shopping experience and help define the store’s merchandise areas. Low-profile shelving creates an improved sightline and directional signage helps customers find the products they need.

The remodel also brings Walmart customers an expanded electronics department featuring a wide selection of the latest consumer electronics and home entertainment. The new design includes a more hands-on experience for customers with interactive displays for hi-definition Blu-ray, video gaming and portable electronics. The interactive experience enables shoppers to test new technology.

A new department called Celebration Station has been added and will feature party supplies, greeting cards, balloons, helium tanks, cake supplies and gift wrap.

The grand re-opening celebration is scheduled for Friday, June 18, and will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m. During the ceremony, store associates will present a total of $6,500 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to local organizations, including:

• Central Mississippi Regional Library System – Pearl Public Library
• Central Mississippi Regional Library System – Brandon Public Library
• City of Brandon Police Department
• City of Pearl Police Department
• Keep Pearl Beautiful
• Pearl Club of Kiwanis International

“In addition to grants from the Walmart 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 Gleason. “We think of them as our partners and consider it a privilege to support the good work they do.”

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT), or “Walmart,” serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,400 retail units under 55 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.0 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine’s 2009 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com and on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.

# # #

EDITOR’S NOTES

• Luke Gleason, store manager, can provide details about the grand re-opening, offer quotes for interviews and arrange for photo opportunities or preview tours. He can be contacted at
• 601-939-0281.
• Walmart PR and Brand Reputation, 800-331-0085
• Walmart information online: www.walmartstores.com; merchandise sales: www.walmart.com
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the legal trade name of the corporation. The name "Walmart," expressed as one word and without punctuation, is a trademark of the company and is used analogously to describe the company and its stores. Use the trade name when it is necessary to identify the legal entity, such as when reporting financial results, litigation or corporate governance.