Community of Fort Stockton Welcomes New Walmart

 Newly relocated Walmart provides 85 new jobs

FORT STOCKTON, Texas, Sept. 1, 2011 – A new Walmart opens this month in Fort Stockton, bringing 85 new jobs, savings for local shoppers and an increase in tax revenue to support the area’s economy. The Walmart, located at 2610 W. Dickinson Blvd., will be open to customers Wednesday, Sept. 14, following a 7:30 a.m. grand-opening ceremony.

“We have been waiting for this for a long time, and now that it’s finally coming about, everyone is ecstatic,” said Pecos County Judge Joe Shuster.

“We are also well aware of the fact that when this store opens, we will get people shopping in Fort Stockton from other communities,” explained Shuster. “As a matter of fact, I think we’ll see an almost instantaneous ripple effect for our local economy.”

“This new store will provide new services not only to Fort Stockton residents, but to the entire Trans-Pecos and Big Bend area of Texas,” said Doug May with the Fort Stockton Economic Development Corporation. “The anticipated increase in sales tax revenue will benefit the entire community. In addition to the direct impact of the new Walmart, ancillary benefits and opportunities will result for other Fort Stockton businesses as a larger customer base is drawn to our community due to its opening,” added May.

The new Fort Stockton Walmart will employ approximately 200 associates, including 85 new jobs created by the relocation, according to store manager Vanessa Cardwell.

Cardwell has a long history with the Fort Stockton store and the city. She started her Walmart career at the store as an hourly evening associate in 1986, and was eventually promoted to assistant manager. In 1991, she was named store manager of the Walmart in Pecos, although she continued to live in Fort Stockton and commute. She became manager of the Fort Stockton Walmart in 1993, and has remained faithful to the store and its community to this day, only leaving for eight months to lead stores in Hobbs, N.M., and Granbury.

Four associates have been employed at the store since its original grand opening in 1986. Eleven of the store's associates have been employed with Walmart for 20 years or more and five have at least 10 years of Walmart experience.

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 Fort Stockton Walmart, with fast service, a friendly shopping experience and clean stores.

The new Walmart features enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers. Walmart aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently 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 Cardwell. “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. An improved sightline and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly. Walmart also combined the Site-to-Store pick-up location, customer service desk and new one-hour 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. The store also added a drive-thru pharmacy.

The Fort Stockton 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 flooring throughout the store reduces the need for chemical cleaners. Low-flow toilets and no-touch faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms. The new store also operates a recycling program and will promote sustainable product purchases.

As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, the store will present grants from the Walmart Foundation to local charitable organizations during the grand-opening festivities.

“Walmart has been a strong corporate partner in Fort Stockton for many years,” said May. “Their annual support of local charities and school activities has been very generous and greatly appreciated. The opening of this store builds on this existing partnership.”

Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 14, for a brief ribbon-cutting event. Chamber of Commerce President Rev. Jim Miles of First Presbyterian Church will give the invocation at the grand-opening ceremony, and local veterans will present the colors. Fort Stockton Mayor Bill Lannom, Judge Shuster, May, Cardwell and her management team 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 9,600 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: 2610 W. Dickinson Blvd., Fort Stockton, Texas
• Former location: 1700 W. Dickinson Blvd.
• 95,000-square-foot Walmart, an addition of 42,000 square feet
• Store opens Wednesday, Sept. 14, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Vanessa Cardwell
• 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 beer
• More than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, a garden center, health and beauty aids, and an expanded electronics department
• Convenience services include a pharmacy with one drive-thru lane, a one-hour digital photo processing center and a Walmart Connect Center

• Store plans to employ approximately 200 associates, including 85 new jobs created by the relocation.
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Texas is approximately $12.03 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.

###