Pembroke Pines Welcomes New Walmart

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

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Jan. 17, 2012 – A new Walmart opens this month in Pembroke Pines, 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 12800 Pines Blvd., will be open to customers at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Jan 25.

The new Pembroke Pines Walmart will employ approximately 300 associates, according to store manager Frank Sealy. He began his Walmart career in 2004 as a manager trainee at a store in Covington, La. Several associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years and come from nearby stores.

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 Pembroke Pines 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. 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 Sealy. “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, grants from the Walmart Foundation will be presented throughout the year.

The Pembroke Pines Walmart, like all new Walmart stores, includes energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. 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.

Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25 for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Sealy 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 9,600 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: 12800 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, Fla.
• 134,437 square-foot Walmart
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Frank Sealy
• 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 and wine
• 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, digital photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center
• Leased areas and services include a nail salon and Subway restaurant
• Drive-thru pharmacy and a drive-thru Site-to-Store pick up

• Grants from the Walmart Foundation will be presented throughout the year

• Store plans to employ approximately 300 associates
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Florida is approximately $12.38 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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