Store brings new concept, 75 new jobs and local favorites to the community
ELK GROVE, Calif., Nov. 2, 2012 – Walmart will open a new Walmart Neighborhood Market Nov. 2, one of seven to open in the Sacramento area since September. The Neighborhood Market is located at 8455 Elk Grove Blvd., in the same shopping center as the Walmart store. It will provide residents with a convenient location to pick up all their grocery needs, including fresh produce.
"During these tough economic times it is good news when local employers like Walmart chose to invest and create jobs in Elk Grove," said Angela Perry, Executive Director of the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce. "The Neighborhood Market will allow Walmart to better serve their customers and the Chamber looks forward to a great partnership to further benefit the community."
Walmart Neighborhood Market Format
The first Neighborhood Market opened in 1998, and today there are approximately 200 Neighborhood Market stores nationwide. The stores offer quick and convenient shopping for groceries, pharmacy items and general merchandise.
New Elk Grove Store
The new store is tailored for the Elk Grove community, featuring a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh cakes and bread, a selection of local favorites such as items from Sacramento Baking Company, as well as meats, cheeses and prepared foods. The deli will feature a Grab-and-Go section with rotisserie chicken, fresh-baked pizza and standard deli sides. In addition to the fresh produce, bakery and deli items, the store will carry a full line of groceries including frozen foods, meat and dairy products and organic items.
Shoppers will also appreciate the convenience of the store’s pharmacy, along with a full selection of health-related products and a health and beauty area. Additional areas include stationery, paper goods, pet products and hardware items. Customers can also print their own digital photos at the store. The store will be open 24 hours a day, 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 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.
This store features many energy-saving elements, part of Walmart’s overall efforts to reduce the total amount of energy used in stores and other operations. These features include LED lights in signage, freezer cases and the parking lot. This technology uses about 50 percent less energy than traditional lighting.
Opening Creates 75 Jobs
Approximately 75 part- and full-time jobs will be created with the new store opening. Store manager Sunny Edmisten began her Walmart career in 2000 as an hourly associate at a store in Logan, Utah. In addition to Edmisten, one other associate has worked for Walmart for more than 10 years.
”We are excited to bring the Walmart Neighborhood Market format to Elk Grove and offer the community a convenient, affordable location for all their grocery shopping needs.” Edmisten said.
Ribbon-Cutting Celebration at 7:30 a.m., Nov. 2
The store will host a grand-opening celebration at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 2. Store associates and local dignitaries will participate in a brief ceremony, followed by a ribbon cutting where the doors to the new store will be opened to the public.
Throughout grand-opening day, members of the Elk Grove community are invited to come by the store to enjoy product samplings, giveaways and various entertainment events.
Community Groups Benefit from Grand-Opening Grants
The grand-opening celebration includes grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local community groups.
Healthier Food and “Great For You”
Walmart made a major commitment to make food healthier and healthier food more affordable, ensuring families won’t have to choose between a product that is good for them and one they can afford. Steps in the healthier food initiative include:
- Reformulate thousands of packaged food items by 2015 by reducing sodium and added sugars and removing all remaining industrially produced trans fats.
- Make healthier choices more affordable by providing savings on fresh produce and reducing the price premium on “better-for-you” items.
- Provide solutions to address food deserts by bringing stores in underserved communities.
- Increase charitable support for nutrition programs that help educate consumers about healthier food solutions and choices.
The “Great For You” icon appears on select Great Value and Marketside products as well as fresh and packaged fruits and vegetables. The icon was developed to help customers easily identify nutritious food options so they can make healthier eating choices for themselves and their families. For more information, visit corporate.walmart.com/healthier-food.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at over 10,300 retail units under 69 different banners in 27 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of $444 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 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://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmartnewsroom . Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com .
###