Walmart Brings Savings and Convenience to Palm Harbor

Expanded store adds full line of groceries and 75 new jobs

PALM HARBOR, Fla., June 14, 2010 – The wait is over for residents in Palm Harbor eager to see their Walmart at 35404 U.S. Highway 19 bring savings on a full line of groceries and a wide assortment of new products and services. The new Walmart is designed to make shopping easy for customers. The store’s expansion brings 75 new jobs to the community. The store will unveil the new expansion to customers at 8 a.m., Wednesday, June 16, after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We have a loyal customer base and some have been shopping here since our original opening in 1991,” said store manager Joe Meggison. “We think they’ll love the new, easy-to-shop layout of the store and appreciate the savings we offer on the products they need.”

During Wednesday’s ceremony, local veterans will raise the store's flag, and the daughter of a store associate will sing the national anthem.

Two local dignitaries will help perform the ribbon cutting, Arlene Tracht, chairman of the board of the Greater Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce and Missy Bohr, honorary mayor of Palm Harbor. Also on stage for the ribbon cutting will be 14 associates who have been with the store since it opened.

The night before the ceremony, the store will host a "Family Night," where associates and their families can tour the store and four associates will be honored.

The Palm Harbor Walmart also features a new layout and updated design. In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh its stores, merchandise, and customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company’s newest stores with faster service, a friendlier shopping experience and cleaner stores.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save customers time as they shop for everyday necessities at our unbeatable prices,” said Meggison. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase we are making one-stop shopping even easier.”

The new layout creates an open shopping environment with wider aisles that contain no product displays. Lower shelving throughout the store creates an improved sightline, and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly.

The store plans to employ approximately 275 associates, including approximately 75 positions created by the expansion. “Joining Walmart was a great career decision for me, as it has been for so many of my fellow associates,” Meggison said. “I am proud to work for this company where there are unlimited opportunities and to bring those opportunities to our community and neighbors.”

The Palm Harbor store, like all new Walmart stores, includes energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. LED lighting throughout the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting.

The store is continuing its support of the community by giving $2,750 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to local organizations. The grant recipients are Faith and Action for Strength Together, the American Vitiligo Research Foundation, Teen Tyme Productions, Inc., Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

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 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

• Store manager Joe Meggison is available for interviews and to arrange photo opportunities or tours. He can be reached at 727-784-8797.
• Walmart PR and Brand Reputation: 800-331-0085
• 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.

• Location: 35404 U.S. Highway 19, Palm Harbor, Fla.
• 125,000-square-foot Walmart, gaining an additional 30,000 square feet
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, June 16, following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Joe Meggison
• Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

• Full line of groceries including a bakery, a deli serving fresh food and meal solutions for moms, meat and dairy products, fresh produce and a beer and wine department
• More than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids and an expanded electronics department
• Convenience services include a pharmacy, a digital photo processing center, Walmart Connect Center and a Subway restaurant

• $2,750 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to the following area organizations:
• Faith and Action for Strength Together
• American Vitiligo Research Foundation
• Teen Tyme Productions, Inc.
• Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

• Store plans to employ approximately 275 associates, including approximately 75 positions added by the expansion.
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Florida is approximately $11.86 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, a stock purchase program and life insurance

* Average wage taken April 2010. See www.walmartstores.com for details.

• Store Manager Joe Meggison is available for interviews and to arrange photo opportunities or tours. He can be reached at 727-784-8797.
• 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.

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