Store brings new concept, approximately 90 new jobs and local favorites to the community
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Jan. 23, 2013 – The first Walmart Neighborhood Market in the Newport News area will open Wednesday, Jan. 30. The new store, located at 11214 Jefferson Ave., will provide residents of Newport News with a convenient location to pick up all their grocery needs, including fresh produce.
New Newport News Store
The new store is tailored for the Newport News community, featuring a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, cakes and bread, as well as meats, cheeses and prepared foods. The deli will feature a Grab-and-Go section with rotisserie chicken, take-and-bake pizzas 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 with a drive-thru lane, 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. The store will be open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., 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 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 90 Jobs
Approximately 90 part- and full-time jobs will be created with the new store opening. Kim Tolbert will manage the new Newport News store. Tolbert began her Walmart career in 2001 as an hourly associate at a store in Lenoir, N.C. Twelve of the new store associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years.
Ribbon-Cutting Celebration at 7:30 a.m., Jan. 30
The store will host a grand-opening celebration at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 30. 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 Newport News 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 $8,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local community groups. Those groups include:
- Special Olympics
- Make-a-Wish Foundation
- Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula
- Food Bank of Virginia
- The Volunteer Center
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) 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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