New Walmart provides approximately 175 jobs, plus savings on wide selection of merchandise
SIMI VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 9, 2013 – Residents of Simi Valley are invited to the new Walmart store, which opens Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 2801 E. Cochran St. in the Sycamore Square Shopping Center. The new approximately 75,000-square-foot Walmart store occupies a previous Mervyns location, which sat vacant for three years. The Walmart grand-opening ceremony is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., and the store will open to the public immediately following the ribbon cutting. Conveniently located off California State Route 118 at the intersection of Sycamore Drive and Cochran Street, the new store brings approximately 175 new jobs to the area and opportunities for savings for customers. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
The Simi Valley Walmart store is one of two opening in Ventura County on Jan. 23, the other being in Oxnard. Combined, the two stores will create approximately 375 new jobs.
“We are thrilled to open a Walmart store in the heart of Simi Valley,” said store manager Ebony Storey. “I grew up in Southern California and have worked for Walmart for more than 17 years, so I have a good idea of what our customers want and what Walmart can provide. This store is going to be a nice fit for this part of the city.”
Ribbon-Cutting Celebration at 7:30 a.m, Wednesday, Jan. 23
Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 23, for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Students from Santa Susana High School and Garden Grove Elementary School will perform. In addition, representatives of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce will cut the ribbon to the new store.
Grand-Opening Events
Customers are encouraged to come to the store on grand-opening day to take advantage of a wide variety of events and promotions. The grand-opening day celebration events include product samplings and giveaways from companies such as Nabisco, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Sara Lee, Pepsi and Nature’s Own, and character appearances by the Oreo Cookie Man and the Coca-Cola Polar Bear.
The festivities will continue Saturday, Jan. 26, beginning at 8 a.m. Pepsi will sponsor an inflatable, Coca-Cola will provide a disc jockey and music, Nature’s Own will give samples of its products. All events are family-friendly, free and open to the public. Additionally, Sara Lee will operate a hot dog stand with all proceeds benefitting Children’s Miracle Network.
Customer Convenience and Wide Product Selection
By combining general merchandise and an expanded food section in one convenient location, the store offers Simi Valley shoppers the convenience of shopping close to home.
The new store features a wide assortment of quality, value-priced merchandise, including:
- Family apparel
- Health and beauty aids
- Electronics
- Toys
- Lawn and garden items
- Jewelry
- Automotive products
- Home furnishings
- Hardware
- Sporting goods
- Pet supplies
- Housewares
- Crafts
- Fabrics
The expanded foods and grocery area will include a selection of fresh, pre-packaged produce, salads and bakery items, as well as a variety of pre-sliced meats and cheeses in the store’s deli. The store will also offer a limited selection of dairy products including milk and yogurt, and will have a variety of frozen foods. Other features include dry goods and staples, beverages, canned and packaged goods, baking items and household supplies.
Community Organizations Benefit from Grand-Opening Grants
Nonprofit organizations will also benefit from the retailer’s ongoing charitable contributions and support for community projects. As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, $8,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will be presented to local organizations. Recipients include, For The Troops, Garden Grove Elementary School, the Samaritan Center of Simi Valley, Simi Valley Family YMCA and Santa Susana High School
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.
Walmart.com Services
Walmart.com services will be available at the store’s entrance. In addition to a digital photo processing lab, the store will also offer two services for customers who shop online. Site-to-Store is a free service that allows customers to ship online orders from www.walmart.com free to any Walmart store for pickup. Pick Up Today is a free service that allows customers to order store items online and pick them up at their local Walmart store that same day (or the next day if items are ordered after 6 p.m. local time).
Pay With Cash
All Walmart stores and Walmart Neighborhood Markets participate in the “Pay With Cash” program. This allows customers to order online at 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.
Economic Impact Includes Approximately 175 New Jobs
The new Simi Valley Walmart will employ approximately 175 associates and 80 percent of those associates are from Simi Valley, according to Storey. The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in California is approximately $12.89 per hour.* Eligible full-time and part-time associates at Walmart are able to take advantage of many employment benefits, including a wide variety of health-care plans, 401(k) participation, discounts, membership at Sam’s Club and the opportunity to purchase stock. Nearly 75 percent of the company’s managers began their Walmart careers as hourly associates.
Storey began her Walmart career as a seasonal, hourly associate at the Gardena Sam’s Club in 1995. She worked in various positions with Sam’s Club for seven years before joining Walmart. Storey joined the retailer’s management training program and worked at stores in East Palmdale, Porter Ranch and Santa Clarita before being promoted to store manager of the Simi Valley store.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 200 million customers and members visit our 10,400 stores under 69 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 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.
###