Walmart Ready to Reveal New Store to Novi Shoppers

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

NOVI, Mich., Aug. 13 2012 – A new Walmart opens this month in Novi, bringing 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 Walmart, located at 26090 Ingersol Drive in the Novi Towne Center, will open to customers at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15.

The new Novi Walmart will employ approximately 300 associates, according to store manager Aaron Quimby. Quimby is a Michigan native who began his Walmart career in 2000 as an hourly sales associate as an unloader at a store in Coldwater.

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 Novi 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 food making it easier for customers to pick up their prescriptions while shopping for their groceries.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said Quimby. “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. Walmart also combined the customer service desk and Site-to-Store pick-up location in one area near the front of the store. 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, $17,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will be presented to community organizations. Recipients include the Novi Police and Fire Benevolent Funds, Novi Education Foundation, Novi Athletic Boosters, Food Bank of Novi, Farmington YMCA, Novi Rotary Club, Novi Farmers Market, Novi Summer Sizzling Festival and the Novi Youth Assistance Program.

The Novi 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 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. The Novi Police and Fire departments will present the colors. Novi Mayor Bob Gatt and Novi City Manager Clay Pearson, along with other members of the City Council, 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: 26090 Ingersol Drive, Novi, Mich., in the Novi Towne Center
• 153,000-square-foot Walmart
• Store opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug.15, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Store manager: Aaron Quimby
• Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

• Full line of groceries, including a bakery, a deli serving fresh food and 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 garden center, health and beauty aids, and an expanded electronics department
• Convenience services include a pharmacy, digital-photo processing center and Walmart Connect Center
• Leased areas include a Taco Del Mar restaurant

• $17,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to the following area organizations
  • Novi Police and Fire Benevolent Funds
  • Novi Education Foundation
  • Novi Athletic Boosters
  • Food Bank of Novi
  • Farmington YMCA
  • Novi Rotary Club
  • Novi Farmers Market
  • Novi Summer Sizzling Festival
  • Novi Youth Assistance Program

• Store plans to employ approximately 300 associates
• The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Michigan is approximately $12.46 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 30, 2012. See www.walmartstores.com for details.

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