Wauwatosa Welcomes Wisconsin's First Walmart Neighborhood Market

Store brings more than 80 new jobs and new store format to the state

MILWAUKEE, June 13, 2012 – Walmart’s newest Walmart Neighborhood Market will open Wednesday, June 20, in Wauwatosa, boosting economic revitalization efforts and providing convenient shopping for local residents. The store, located at the intersection of 124th and Capitol Streets, occupies space that formerly housed a Jewel-Asco store. The new store is the first Walmart Neighborhood Market to open in Wisconsin.

“We are excited that a vibrant, new business is opening in this location,” said Wauwatosa Mayor Kathleen Ehley. “Wauwatosa is a good-sized city, but a close-knit community, and we look forward to the store’s associates becoming engaged and involved as community partners.”

Store manager John Fitzgerald began his Walmart career 23 years ago as a cart-pusher at a store in Sheboygan. “I am excited about introducing the Wauwatosa community to the state’s first Walmart Neighborhood Market,” he said.

The first Walmart Neighborhood Market opened in 1998 in Bentonville, Ark. The store format is designed to provide quick and convenient shopping for groceries, pharmacy items and general merchandise. The Wauwatosa store is one of eight Walmart Neighborhood Markets opening in June nationwide, bringing the total number of this type of Walmart store to nearly 200.

The 38,000-square-foot Wauwatosa store features a self-serve deli, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as meats, cheeses and prepared foods. In addition to the fresh produce and fresh-baked bread items, the store will carry a full line of groceries, including frozen foods, meat and dairy products, and organic items. Customers will be able to find locally popular items such as bratwurst and Italian sausage products from Klement’s and Brewers Peanuts. Beer and wine will also be sold.

Shoppers will also appreciate the convenience of the store’s pharmacy, which features a drive-thru lane, along with a full selection of health-related products and a health and beauty area. Additional areas include stationery, paper goods, pet products, hardware items and a Celebration Station, where customers can buy gift wrap and gift bags, greeting cards and party supplies. Customers can also print their own digital photos at the stores, which will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The store will offer Site-to-Store services, a regular feature at other Walmart stores, but not typical for a Walmart Neighborhood Market. Site-to-Store is a free service that allows customers to ship online orders from www.walmart.com free to any Walmart store for pickup.

All Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets participate in the Pay with Cash program. This allows customers to order online at www.walmart.com and pay for the items with cash at all stores in the U.S. Walmart is the first major retailer to offer online purchases without the need for banking services or a credit, debit or prepaid card.

To celebrate the grand opening, $6,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will be presented to local community groups. Additional funds will be available throughout the year for local organizations that serve the community. Interested groups can visit walmartstores.com/communitygiving for more information.

A grand-opening celebration will start at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 20. Store associates and local dignitaries will participate in a brief ceremony, followed by a ribbon-cutting where doors to the new store will be opened to the public at 8 a.m. Special events on grand-opening day, and continuing through the weekend, include character appearances, product giveaways and samplings, and other events.

Approximately 80 part- and full-time jobs were created by the store’s opening. Pharmacy manager Phoebe Botros is new to Walmart, but has six years of experience as a pharmacist. She is a Milwaukee native and is looking forward to getting to know the customers at the new store and helping them with their pharmacy needs.

About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 10,130 retail units under 69 different banners in 27 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 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: 3850 N. 124th St., Wauwatosa, Wis.
• 38,0000-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, June 20, following a 7:30 a.m., ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: John Fitzgerald
• 24 hours a day, seven days a week

• Full line of groceries, including a bakery, self-serve deli, meat and dairy products, fresh produce, frozen foods, organic items, and beer and wine sales
• Additional merchandise includes health and beauty aids, pet and cleaning products, hardware and stationery
• Convenience services include a pharmacy with a drive-thru window, digital photo processing center, Walmart Site-to-Store and Pay With Cash

• $6,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local organizations

• Store will employ approximately 80 associates
• Store manager John Fitzgerald began his Walmart career 23 years ago as a cart-pusher at a store in Sheboygan. Nearly 75 percent of Walmart store management teams began their careers as hourly associates.
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Wisconsin is approximately $12.35 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 April 2012. See www.walmartstores.com for details.

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