Cheboygan Walmart Welcomes Shoppers to Remodeled Store

Renovated store offers a glimpse into the next generation of shopping

CHEBOYGAN, Mich., July 12, 2010 – The Cheboygan Walmart, located at 1150 S. Main, 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 Cheboygan Walmart at 8 a.m., Friday, July 16. 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 Cheboygan Chamber of Commerce Manager Kimberlee Pappas, the Cheboygan Walmart remodel is an example of the company’s investment in the community. “Our Cheboygan Walmart and its associates continue to provide community support that helps make many projects a success and that support will continue said Pappas. “We are very excited to see that Walmart believes in our community and it shows with their recent financial commitment with the improvements made to the Cheboygan store. We appreciate the continued community support, employment and leadership that Walmart provides Cheboygan,” Pappas added.

The remodeled Cheboygan 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.

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

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.

Among the changes, Walmart upgraded the pharmacy, creating a much friendlier, accessible experience. Customers will also appreciate the enhanced hardware department with a new electronic paint matching system and the pre-cut packaged fabric selection. The store now has a broader selection of seasonal items so customers can find everything for summer barbeques, pool and beach accessories to back-to-school supplies in one-stop shopping.

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 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 and helium tanks, cake supplies and gift wrap.

The grand re-opening celebration is scheduled for Friday, July 16, and will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. Local dignitaries including the mayor of Cheboygan and Cheboygan Chamber of Commerce will help Roy cut the ribbon to the remodeled store, and store associate Jacob Johnston will sing the national anthem.

The Cheboygan Walmart will also host a Health & Wellness fair in conjunction with the grand re-opening festivities, offering customers free blood pressure and glaucoma checks, vision screenings as well as other health information.

During the ceremony, store associates will present grants from the Walmart Foundation to local organizations.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have 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.

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.

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

• Dawn Roy, store manager, can provide details about the grand re-opening, offer quotes for interviews and arrange for photo opportunities or preview tours. She can be contacted at 231-627-2769.
• 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.