North Tonawanda Walmart Associates Welcome Customers to New Store

New Walmart provides 300 jobs, plus savings on wide selection of merchandise

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y, Aug. 1, 2012 – A new Walmart opens this month in North Tonawanda, bringing approximately 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 North Tonawanda Walmart, located at 866 Niagara Falls Blvd., will open to customers at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 15.

The new North Tonawanda Walmart will employ approximately 300 associates, according to store manager Chris Lazarou. Lazarou began his Walmart career in 1993, stocking shelves at a store in Niagara Falls. Several associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years and come from nearby stores.

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 North Tonawanda Walmart, with fast service, a friendly shopping experience and clean stores.

The new Walmart features 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 health and beauty, making it easier for customers to pick up their prescriptions while shopping for their everyday needs.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said Lazarou. “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. Customers now have easy access to the services they need, as well as associates on hand to assist.

As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration and throughout the year.
Organizations receiving grants during the grand opening all provide support to the North Tonawanda community.

The North Tonawanda 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 cement used in the concrete flooring is made with recycled materials, and the floor’s finish reduces the need for chemical cleaners. 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 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 15, for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mayor Robert Ortt is among the scheduled speakers.

Ortt said the North Tonawanda store will greatly benefit the city, not only for the value and convenience it brings, but also for the new jobs and additional sales tax revenue the store will generate.

“North Tonawanda gladly welcomes the world’s largest retailer to our city,” Ortt said. “The benefits of an expanded tax base, increased sales tax revenue and more than 300 new jobs cannot be underestimated.”

He also expects the new Walmart store to increase retail development in the area, which means even more revenue will remain in the county.

“As North Tonawanda moves from an economy that was primarily a manufacturing/industrial economy, to one that includes a strong focus on retail, it only makes sense to have the world’s largest retailer here,” he said.

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: 866 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• 188,000-square-foot Walmart
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 15, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Chris Lazarou
• Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

• Full line of groceries, including a bakery, a deli with meal solutions for moms, meat and dairy products, fresh produce and beer
• More than 30 merchandise departments, such as apparel and accessories, a garden center, health and beauty aids and an expanded electronics department
• Convenience services include a pharmacy, digital photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center

• Store plans to employ approximately 300 associates
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in New York is approximately $12.74 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 eligible associates 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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