Store offers low prices, 70 new jobs to area residents
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Jan. 18, 2013 – Residents of Gainesville are invited to the relocated Walmart store, which opens Friday, Feb. 1, at 5700 NW. 23rd St. The grand opening is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., and the store will open to the public immediately following the grand-opening ceremony. Located at State Route 441 and NW. 23rd Street, the relocated store brings approximately 70 new jobs to the area and opportunities for savings for customers. It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Ribbon-Cutting Celebration at 7:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 1
Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 1, for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Associates Van Williams and Jackie Kelley, who have worked at the original Gainesville store since it opened in 1983, will cut the ribbon.
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 celebration events include product samplings and giveaways. An appearance will be made by the Florida Gator cheerleaders and the University of Florida mascots, Albert and Alberta Gator. Other characters including Chester the Cheetah and Tony the Tiger will also be on hand. Other activities include a race simulator provided by Cone Distributing. All events are family-friendly, free and open to the public.
“We are very proud of our new store and can not wait to share it with our Gainesville community”, stated store manager Kami Tate. “We look forward to seeing everyone on Feb. 1 so we can help you save money and live better”.
Customer Convenience and Wide Product Selection
By combining general merchandise and a full line of groceries in one convenient location, the store offers Gainesville shoppers the convenience of one-stop 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
The grocery area will include a wide selection of fresh produce, including a variety of organic products. Other features include a full bakery, meat and dairy products, dry goods and staples, beverages, a deli, frozen foods, canned and packaged goods, baking items and household supplies. For added convenience, the store will also offer a vision center and a Walmart MoneyCenter.
The pharmacy will offer a full range of products and services to support the health and wellness of customers and their families. The pharmacy team can answer questions and offer health and wellness solutions. They can also assist customers who wish to transfer their prescriptions to Walmart. The pharmacy is conveniently located at the front of the store.
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.
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 70 New Jobs
The new Gainesville Walmart will employ approximately 300 associates, including 70 new jobs created by the relocation. The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Florida is approximately $12.72 per hour.* Eligible full- 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.
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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