Stores employ about 350 people and provide new, affordable grocery options for residents; Three new store managers have a combined 39 years of experience with Walmart
CHICAGO, Jan. 16, 2013 – Chicago residents in three communities now have a new, convenient and affordable option for all their grocery shopping needs. Walmart opened three Walmart Neighborhood Markets in the city today in the neighborhoods of Little Village, Lakeview and Back of the Yards. The new stores, about one-fifth the size of a supercenter, employ a combined total of 350 people and provide customers with a new choice for fresh food. The new managers running these stores all got their start in Illinois and have close to four decades of combined experience with the company.
“With our smaller format, our store is perfect for those on the go,” said Lakeview Store Manager Eric Galle, who began his Walmart career in 2001 as a cart pusher at the retailer’s Joliet store. “Whether they’re stocking up or need to pick up just a few items, our customers will be able to find what they need quickly and easily. Consumers will be able to find familiar brands and local products at great values, right in their own neighborhood.”
Eric Jones, who began his Walmart career 12 years ago as an assistant manager in Orland Hills, will manage Back of the Yards and Fabian Lehaney will oversee Little Village. Mr. Lehaney has been with Walmart since 1996 and started in the company’s Elk Grove Village store.
“Eric, Fabian and Eric are examples of the career opportunities available at Walmart as well as our ability to retain talented people,” said Labeed Diab, Senior Vice President, Walmart U.S. “Three quarters of our store management teams across the country started as hourly associates and more than 250,000 associates have been with the company for more than 10 years - these three individuals are a living representation of those statistics. I couldn’t be more proud of their success and look forward to watching them deliver for our Chicago customers.”
Each Neighborhood Market carries a full line of groceries including fresh produce as well as a deli, bakery and pharmacy. Additional areas include health-related products and health and beauty aids, stationery, paper goods, pet products and hardware items. What’s more, each 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 the grand-opening celebrations included grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local community groups. Recipients of local grants are: the Center on Halsted, SGA Youth & Family Services, Bella Cuisine Kids Cooking Club, Union Hill M.B. Church, House of the Good Shepherd, Howard Brown Health Center, Advocate Charitable Foundation, El Hogar Del Nino, San Jose Obrero Mission and Central States Services.
With these openings, Walmart now has eight locations in the city of Chicago:
- Walmart Supercenter in North Austin at 4650 W. North Ave. (2006)
- Walmart Neighborhood Market in the West Loop at West Monroe St. and South Jefferson St. (2011)
- Walmart Express in Wrigleyville at Broadway & Addison (2011)
- Walmart Supercenter in West Chatham at 83rd Street and Stewart Avenue (2012)
- Walmart Express in River North at Chicago Avenue. and Franklin Street (2012)
- Walmart Neighborhood Market in Little Village at Cermak & Rockwell (2013)
- Walmart Neighborhood Market in Back of the Yards at 47th & Bishop (2013)
- Walmart Neighborhood Market in Lakeview at Broadway and Surf (2013)
Future projects include:
- Walmart Supercenter in Pullman at 111th St. and South Doty Avenue (2013)
- Walmart Neighborhood Market in Auburn/Gresham at West 76th Street and South Ashland Avenue (2014)
- Walmart Neighborhood Market in Grand Boulevard at 47th and Cottage Grove (2014)
Walmart opened its first Neighborhood Market in 1998, and now operates about 215 stores across the country.
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
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