King George Walmart Welcomes Shoppers to New Store

 New design features expanded selections, more opportunities to save

KING GEORGE, Va., Aug. 9, 2011– A new Walmart opens this month in King George, bringing 300 new jobs, savings for local shoppers and an increase in tax revenue to support the area’s economy. Nonprofit organizations will also benefit from the retailer’s ongoing charitable contributions and support for community projects. The Walmart, located at 16375 Merchant Lane, will be open to customers at 8:15 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 17.

The new King George Walmart will employ approximately 300 associates, according to store manager Jimmy Covington. More than 15 of the store’s associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years. Covington began his Walmart career in 1995 as an assistant manager at a store in Jefferson City, Tenn.

In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh its stores, merchandising and customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company’s newest stores, such as the King George Walmart, with fast service, a friendly shopping experience and clean stores.

The new Walmart features wide aisles, enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers. Walmart aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently. The pharmacy, for example, is adjacent to food making it easier for customers to pick up their prescriptions while shopping for their groceries.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said Covington. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase, including health and beauty and pet supplies, we are making one-stop shopping even easier.”

A bright interior color palette creates an inviting shopping experience and helps define the store’s merchandise areas. Lower shelving creates an improved sightline and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly. Walmart also combined the customer service desk, Site-to-Store pick-up location and photo lab in one area near the entrance. Customers now have easy access to these services, as well as associates on hand to help meet their needs.

As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, $27,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration. The following organizations will each receive $1,000 to support programs that serve the community: Bluemont Concert Series- The Cultural Spirit of our Communities, Colonial Beach Police Department, the King George Fire Department, the King George Fire and Rescue Squad, King George Social Services, the King George Ruritan Club and the King George Family YMCA. The Dahlgren Heritage Foundation will receive $7,500. Each Walmart store in the market is also donating to the Heritage Foundation, which brings the total donation to $20,000.

The King George Walmart, 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 in the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting.

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 new store also operates a recycling program and will promote sustainable product purchases.

Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 17 for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. The King George High School Band will perform the national anthem and the King George JRROTC will present the colors. Covington and other associates will cut the ribbon to the new store.

About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at over 9,200 retail units under 69 different banners in 28 countries. With fiscal year 2011 sales of $419 billion, Walmart employs 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://walmartstores.com and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.

• Location: 16375 Merchant Lane, King George, Va.
• 155,000-square-foot Walmart
• Store opens at 8:15 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 17, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Jimmy Covington
• 24 hours, 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 beer and wine
• More than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, a lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids, and an expanded electronics department
• Convenience services include a pharmacy, vision center, digital photo processing center, Walmart Connect Center
• Leased areas and services include a SmartStyle Family Hair Salon and a Subway restaurant

$27,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to the following area organizations

• Bluemont Concert Series- The Cultural Spirit of our Communities
• Colonial Beach Police Department
• King George Fire Department
• King George Fire and Rescue Squad
• King George Social Services
• King George Ruritan Club
• King George Family YMCA
• Dahlgren Heritage Foundation

• Store plans to employ approximately 300 associates
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Virginia is approximately $11.84 per hour*
• Walmart’s benefit program is available to eligible full- and part-time associates and provides a variety of affordable health and well-being benefits including medical insurance with no lifetime maximum. Walmart also offers matching 401(k) contributions of up to 6 percent of pay, discounts on general merchandise for store associates, a Sam’s Club membership for club associates, an Associate Stock Purchase Program and company-paid life insurance. Additionally, eligible associates receive an annual incentive based on the company performance.

* Average wage taken June 2011. See www.walmartstores.com for details.

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