Irwin Walmart Welcomes Shoppers to New Store

 New Walmart provides nearly 300 jobs

IRWIN, Pa., Jan. 18, 2012 – A new Walmart opens this month in Irwin, bringing nearly 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 915 Mills Drive, will be open to customers at 7 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25 after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new Irwin Walmart will employ approximately 300 associates, according to store manager JoAnna Kubasky. Nineteen of the store’s associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years. Kubasky is a Pennsylvania native who began her Walmart career in 2002 as an intern before becoming an assistant manager at the Mt. Pleasant Walmart.

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 Irwin 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 Kubasky. “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.

The Irwin 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.

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 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25 for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Katie Kratzenberg, a student from Norwin High School will perform the national anthem and the Irwin Boy Scout Troop will present the colors. Store associates will cut the ribbon to the new store.

Store associates will award several grants to local nonprofit organizations during a reception at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24. Reporters and photographers are welcome. Among the grant recipients:

• Norwin Chamber of Commerce, $5,000
• Westmoreland County Community College, $2,500
• Irwin Volunteer Fire Department, $2,000
• Rotary Club of Norwin, $2,000 (with $1,000 dedicated for hunger issues)
• The Irwin Project, $2,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, $1,500

In addition to these store-level grants, the Greater Pittsburgh Council of Boy Scouts will receive a $50,000 grant awarded through the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program. The funding will support the council’s “Scouting for Food” campaign, now in its 25th year, to feed needy people throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

To be considered for support, perspective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program’s online grant application. Applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the program’s minimum eligibility criteria. Additional information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process are available online at www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving

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: 915 Mills Drive, Irwin, Pa.
• 152,926-square-foot Walmart
• Store opens at 7 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25, immediately following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: JoAnna Kubasky
• 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, and fresh produce
• 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, digital photo processing center and a Walmart Connect Center
• Leased areas and services include a SmartStyle Family Hair Salon and a Subway restaurant

• Store plans to employ approximately 300 associates
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Pennsylvania is approximately $12.30 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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