Renovated store offers a glimpse into the next generation of shopping
CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio, June 28, 2010 – The Canal Winchester Walmart, located at 6674 Winchester Blvd., 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 at the Canal Winchester Walmart at 7:30 a.m., Friday, July 2. 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.
According to Canal Winchester Mayor Michael Ebert, the Walmart remodel is an example of community partnership. “As one of our largest employers, Walmart has been a great asset to our community,” said Ebert. “Supporting organizations such as the Canal Winchester Area Historical Society and the Canal Winchester Humans Services and others, Walmart has shown they really do want to be involved locally. The Grand Re-opening is testament to their commitment to the village of Canal Winchester and its residents,” he added.
New Layout Improves Customer Experience
The remodeled Canal Winchester 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, including moving the pet department next to the grocery department.
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.
“We listened to our customers and have redesigned the store to make shopping at Walmart even easier,” said store manager Doug Hays.
Among the changes, Walmart completely renovated the pharmacy with an open design, creating a much friendlier, accessible experience. The store added self-checkout registers with touch screens for faster checkout and combined the Site-to-Store pick-up location and photo lab into a single area at the rear of the store. Customers will also appreciate the hardware department’s new electronic paint matching system, the new larger, accessible bike rack in sporting goods and the new seasonal displays that feature everything customers need in one-stop shopping for summer picnics and back-to-school.
Expanded Departments Add Value and Savings
The remodel 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 expansive video gaming selection and portable electronics. The interactive experience enables shoppers to test new technology.
The store expanded the grocery department, adding shelf space for a wider gluten-free selection of products at the customer’s request.
A new department called Celebration Station has been added and will feature party supplies, greeting cards, balloons and helium tanks, cake supplies and gift wrap.
Grand Re-opening Activities Include Support for Local Organizations
The grand re-opening celebration is scheduled for Friday, July 2, and will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m. Hays, along with store associates, will help cut the ribbon to the newly remodeled store. The Canal Winchester store has been a supporter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and will present the organization a $500 grant during the festivities.
The Walmart Foundation has committed $2 billion to U.S. hunger relief efforts through 2015. The Fighting Hunger Together campaign will also engage Walmart customers and associates in the fight against hunger. More information can be found at walmart.com/fightinghunger.
Commitment to the Environment
The store is also committed to being a good environmental steward. Part of the cement used in the store’s concrete flooring is made with recycled materials, and the baseboards are manufactured from 100 percent recycled plastic. The photo department also uses green technology, operating completely without liquid chemicals for photo processing. The store also has improved its recycling efforts with a new recycling program which features a sandwich bale process that takes all loose plastic, hangers, aluminum cans and office paper, sandwiches them between cardboard, bundles them into bales and sends them to recycling centers. In addition, the store will be composting all organic products.
About Walmart
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.
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EDITOR’S NOTES
- Doug Hays, 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 614-833-3930.
- 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.