Walmart Brings New Shopping Experience to Albany

 New Walmart provides 300 jobs, plus savings on wide selection of merchandise

ALBANY, Ore., Jan. 11, 2012 – A new Walmart opens this month in Albany, 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 1330 Goldfish Farm S.E., will be open to customers at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25.

The new Albany Walmart will employ approximately 300 associates, according to store manager Race Robbins. Robbins began his Walmart career in 1998 at a store in Longview, Wash.

“Walmart has created 300 new jobs in Albany,” said Janet Steele, president of Albany Area Chamber of Commerce. “The company and their employees have a history of giving back to the communities they serve and we welcome them to the Albany business community.”

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

The new Walmart features wider 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 layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said Robbins. “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. 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, $15,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration. The organizations receiving grants from the Walmart Foundation are The Greater Albany Public School, Boys and Girls Club of Albany, Albany Firefighters Community Assist Fund, Albany Area Seniors, Albany Parks and Recreation, American Legion Post #10 Albany, Friends of the Albany Public Library, Linn Benton Food Share, Linn County Child Victim Assessment Center, and the Safehaven Humane Society.

The Albany 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, Jan. 25 for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Regional Vice President Matti Havner, market manager David Fuller, and store manager Race Robbins 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: 1330 Goldfish Farm S.E., Albany, Ore.
• 188,000-square-foot Walmart
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Race Robbins
• Open 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, 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 will include a Subway, a Smart Hair salon, DaVinci nail salon and a gameroom.

$15,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to area organizations:

• The Greater Albany Public School
• Boys and Girls Club of Albany
• Albany Firefighters Community Assist Fund
• Albany Area Seniors
• Albany Parks and Recreation
• American Legion Post #10 Albany
• Friends of the Albany Public Library
• Linn Benton Food Share
• Linn County Child Victim Assessment Center
• Safehaven Humane Society

• Store plans to employ approximately 300 associates
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Oregon is approximately $12.93 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, an Associate Stock Purchase Program and company-paid life insurance. Additionally, eligible associates receive a quarterly incentive based on store performance.

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

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