Kirkwood Walmart Expands to Offer Savings on Full Line of Groceries

 Expanded store adds 75 jobs, plus more convenience for local shoppers

KIRKWOOD, Mo., Feb. 17, 2012 – The wait is over for residents in metro St. Louis eager to see their Walmart at 1202 S. Kirkwood Road bring savings on a full line of groceries and a wide assortment of new products and services. The new Walmart is designed to make shopping easy for customers. The store’s expansion brings 75 new jobs to the community. The store will unveil the new expansion to customers at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 29, after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We have a loyal customer base and some have been shopping here since our original opening,” said store manager Chet Chapman. “We think they’ll love the new, easy-to-shop layout of the store and appreciate the savings we offer on the products they need.”

The Kirkwood Walmart also features a new layout and updated design. In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh its stores, merchandise and customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company’s newest stores with faster service, a friendlier shopping experience and cleaner stores.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save customers time as they shop for everyday necessities at our unbeatable prices,” said Chapman. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase we are making one-stop shopping even easier.”

The new layout creates an open shopping environment with wider aisles. Lower shelving throughout the store creates an improved sightline, and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly.

The store plans to employ approximately 350 total associates, including approximately 75 new positions created by the expansion. “Joining Walmart was a great career decision for me, as it has been for so many of my fellow associates,” Chapman said. “I am proud to work for this company where there are unlimited opportunities and to bring those opportunities to our community and neighbors.”

The Kirkwood store, 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 throughout the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting. Low-flow toilets and faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms.

As part of the grand opening, the store is continuing its support of the community by distributing grants from the Walmart Foundation to local organizations.

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: 1202 S. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, Mo.
• 150,000-square-foot Walmart
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 29, following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Chet Chapman
• 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 a full liquor department
• More than 30 merchandise departments, such as apparel and accessories, garden center, health and beauty aids, and an expanded electronics department
• Convenience services include a pharmacy, a MoneyCenter, a vision center and a Walmart Connect Center
• Leased areas and services include Academy Bank

• Grants from the Walmart Foundation will be distributed to area organizations

• Store plans to employ approximately 350 total associates, including approximately 75 new positions added by the expansion.
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Missouri is approximately $12.34 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.

###