Walmart Brings Savings and Convenience to Maplewood

 Expanded store adds full line of groceries and 200 additional jobs

MAPLEWOOD, Mo., Aug. 24, 2010 – The wait is over for residents in Maplewood eager to see their Walmart at 1900 Maplewood Commons Drive 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 200 new jobs to the community. The store will unveil the new expansion to customers at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 1, after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We are pleased that Walmart, a company that is truly supportive of the service and educational organizations of Maplewood, has chosen to expand in our city. The Walmart expansion brings services that will not only benefit the residents of Maplewood but the entire region,” said City of Maplewood Mayor James White. “We greatly appreciate having such a generous and caring corporate citizen in our community.”

"We are pleased to welcome the remodeled Walmart to the City of Maplewood," said Jeannine Beck, executive director of the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce and Maplewood Community Betterment Foundation. "The corporation's economic investment in this store, especially during these tough economic times, offers a wonderful opportunity for our community. We are delighted with the new jobs provided and, just as importantly, with the renewed economic vitality that Walmart bring. Maplewood will also benefit greatly from the company's charitable contributions to our service organizations."

The Maplewood Walmart 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 stores is easy to navigate, which will save customers time as they shop for everyday necessities at our unbeatable prices,” said store manager Denise Throop. “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. 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 550 associates, including approximately 200 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,” Throop 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 Maplewood store, like all new Walmart stores, includes energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. The store’s skylights harvest daylight and reduce the amount of energy required to light the store by up to 75 percent daily. LED lighting throughout the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting. Part of the cement used in the concrete flooring is made with recycled materials, and the floor’s finish reduces the need for chemical cleaners. Low-flow toilets and faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms.

The grand-opening celebration is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 a.m., and will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Mayor James White and a group of charter associates who have been with the store since the original opening in 2004. The community is invited to join the St. Louis Charter School as they perform the national anthem and as a local Boy Scout troop presents the colors. The celebration will also include an invocation by Pastor Steve Moseley. The store will serve cake and punch to the community during the grand-opening celebration.

The store is continuing its support of the community by giving $5,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to local organizations. The grant recipients include Maplewood Fire Department, Maplewood Police Department, Maplewood Community Betterment Foundation and St. Louis Charter School.

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.

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.

• Location: 1900 Maplewood Commons Drive, Maplewood, Mo.
• 186,000-square-foot Walmart, gaining an additional 43,000 square feet
• Store opens at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 1, following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony
• 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 full liquor 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, digital photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center
• Leased areas and services include First Community Bank and a Subway restaurant.

$5,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to the following area organizations:

• Maplewood Fire Department
• Maplewood Police Department
• Maplewood Community Betterment Foundation
• St. Louis Charter School

• Store plans to employ approximately 550 associates, including approximately 200 positions added by the expansion.
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Missouri is approximately $11.88 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, stock purchase program and life insurance

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

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