Walmart Ready to Reveal New Store to Tarpon Springs Shoppers

New Walmart provides 200 jobs, plus savings on wide selection of merchandise

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla., Aug. 9, 2012 – A new Walmart opens this month in Tarpon Springs, bringing 200 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 Walmart, located at 41232 U.S. Highway 19 N., will open to customers at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 15.

The new Tarpon Springs Walmart will employ approximately 200 associates, according to store manager Tom Bigler. Bigler began his Walmart career in 1991 as an assistant manager trainee at a store in Port Clinton, Ohio. One associate at the Tarpon Springs store has worked for Walmart for more than 25 years and comes from a nearby store.

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 Tarpon Springs 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 layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said Bigler. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase, 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. Walmart also combined the customer service desk, Site-to-Store pick-up location,
MoneyCenter and photo lab in one area near the entrance. Customers now have easy access to these services, as well as associates on hand to help meet their needs.

As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, $12,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration. Citizens Alliance for Progress will receive $2,000 to support programs that serve the community, as well as the Tarpon Springs Housing Authority,
St. Petersburg College and the Tarpon Springs High School. The following organizations will each receive $1,000: Boys and Girls Club of the Suncoast, Metropolitan Ministries in Pasco, Shepard Center of Tarpon Springs, and Wheelchairs 4 Kids, Inc.

The Tarpon Springs Walmart, like all new Walmart stores, includes energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. LED lighting in the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting.

Low-flow toilets and faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms. The new store also operates a recycling program that includes organic composting 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. Members of the Tarpon Springs High School Band and Choir will perform the national anthem and local Girls Scouts will post the colors. Mayor David O. Archie alongside Bigler will cut the ribbon to the new store.

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: 41232 U.S. Highway 19 N., Tarpon Springs, Fla.
• 85,023-square-foot Walmart
• Store opens at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 15, following an 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Tom Bigler
• 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 and wine
• More than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, a fabric and crafts department, health and beauty aids, and an expanded electronics department
• Convenience services include a pharmacy, digital photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center

• $12,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to the following area organizations
  • Boys and Girls Club of the Suncoast
  • Citizens Alliance for Progress
  • Metropolitan Ministries in Pasco
  • Shepherd Center of Tarpon Springs
  • St. Petersburg College
  • Tarpon Springs High School
  • Tarpon Springs Housing Authority
  • Wheelchairs 4 Kids, Inc.

• Store plans to employ approximately 200 associates
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Florida is approximately $12.55 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 health care coverage with no lifetime maximum. Walmart also offers eligible associates matching 401(k) contributions of up to 6 percent of pay, discounts on general merchandise, an Associate Stock Purchase Program and company-paid life insurance. Additionally, eligible associates receive a quarterly incentive bonus based on store performance.

* Average wage taken April 2012. See www.walmartstores.com for details.

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