Walmart Brings Savings and Convenience to Biloxi

Store adds full line of groceries and 85 new jobs

BILOXI, Miss., April 2, 2012 – The wait is over for residents in Biloxi eager to see their Walmart bring savings on a full line of groceries and a wide assortment of new products and services. The store’s relocation to 2681 C.T. Switzer Sr. Drive brings 85 new jobs to the community. The store features Walmart’s newest layout designed to make shopping easy for customers. The relocated store will open to customers at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 11, after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m.

“We have a loyal customer base and some have been shopping here for nearly 25 years,” said store manager Michael McDavid. “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.”

Local leaders are excited about the new store. Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway said, “This new Walmart store is serving as a catalyst for economic growth in west Biloxi. We’re seeing more restaurants and more retail as a result of this new store, which is conveniently situated just west of Edgewater Mall, with easy access off U.S. 90. I certainly appreciate the investment and confidence that Walmart has shown in Biloxi and the surrounding area.”

With its relocation, the store has added 30,000 square-feet and now features a full line of groceries as well as a bakery, a deli, a frozen food section, and meat, dairy and fresh produce sections. Time-saving services and an expansive merchandise selection add to its one-stop shopping convenience. Wide aisles, bright interior paint scheme, enhanced lighting and easy-to-read signage make the shopping experience more convenient for customers.

The Biloxi 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 McDavid. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase we are making one-stop shopping even easier.”

The store plans to employ approximately 300 associates, including approximately 85 new positions created by the relocation.

“I’m happy to be a part of this relocation, as we now have the opportunity to provide additional jobs and career opportunities to the community,” McDavid said. A graduate of St. Martin High School, he started his career with Walmart in 1996 as an assistant manager at the Gulfport store. He is one of 25 of the Biloxi store’s associates who have worked for Walmart for more than 15 years. Eight associates have worked for Walmart for 25 years or longer. Seven associates have worked at the store since its original opening in 1987.

The Biloxi 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 concrete 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.

The grand-opening celebration at the Biloxi store is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11. Mayor Holloway and other community and businesses leaders will join store associates for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m.

During the ceremony, store associates will present $4,250 in grants to local organizations, including the Edgewater Rotary Club of Biloxi, Fisher House at Keesler Air Force Base, the Humane Society of South Mississippi, and Loaves and Fishes Community Kitchen Food Bank.

About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at over 10,000 retail units under 69 different banners in 27 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 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 Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
 

• Location: 2681 C.T. Switzer Sr. Drive, Biloxi, Miss.
• Formerly located at: 2381 Pass Road, Biloxi, Miss.
• 156,000-square-foot Walmart
• Store opens 8 a.m., Wednesday, April 11, following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m.
• Store manager: Michael McDavid
• Open 24 hours, seven days a week

• Full line of groceries, including a bakery, deli items, meat and dairy products, fresh produce and beer
• More than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids, and an expanded electronics department
• Convenience services include a pharmacy with two drive-thru lanes, vision center, digital photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center
• Leased areas and services include a Subway restaurant and a branch of Woodforest Bank.

$4,250 in grants will be presented from the Walmart Foundation to the following area organizations:

• Edgewater Rotary Club of Biloxi
• Fisher House at Keesler Air Force Base
• Humane Society of South Mississippi
• Loaves and Fishes Community Kitchen Food Bank

• Store plans to employ approximately 300 associates, including approximately 85 positions created by the relocation.
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Mississippi is approximately $12.12 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 January 2012. See www.walmartstores.com for details.

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