Milwaukee Welcomes Walmart Market

 Store brings more than 90 new jobs and new store format to the city of Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE, July 31, 2012 – Walmart’s newest Walmart Market will open Wednesday, Aug. 1, in Milwaukee, boosting economic revitalization efforts and providing convenient shopping for local residents. The store, located at the intersection of West Main and South 70th street, is a new building and the first Walmart Market to open in the city of Milwaukee.

“Walmart worked with city government to adapt the design of this new store to better fit the neighborhood,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “This is a significant new development at a site that had been underutilized for years.”

Store manager Mark Tulod began his Walmart career two years ago, and has 11 years of retail experience. “I am excited about introducing the Milwaukee community to the city’s first Walmart Market,” said Tulod.

The Walmart Market store format is designed to provide quick and convenient shopping for groceries, pharmacy items and general merchandise.

The 39,900-square-foot Milwaukee 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.

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 store, which will be open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

The store will offer Site-to-Store, a free service that allows customers to ship online orders from www.walmart.com free to any Walmart store for pickup.

All Walmart stores, Neighborhood Markets and Walmart Market stores 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, $3,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will be presented to the Hawley Environmental School, the Hunger Task Force and the Milwaukee Police Department. 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, Aug. 1. 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 90 part- and full-time jobs were created by the store’s opening. In his first role as a Walmart store manager, Tulod is excited to introduce the local community to Milwaukee’s first Walmart Market. Tulod began working in the grocery business as a cart-pusher and cashier in nearby Greenfield as a teenager. Stop by and meet Mark Tulod and Pharmacy manager George Shick. Shick, an experienced pharmacist, is also 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: 7025 W. Main St.
• 39,900-square-foot Walmart Market
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 1, following a 7:30 a.m., ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Mark Tulod
• Store hours: 6 a.m.-11 p.m., seven days a week

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

• $3,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local organizations

• Store will employ approximately 90 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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