- New store located at 6000 Bullard Ave.
- Replaces New Orleans East store destroyed in Hurricane Katrina
- New Orleans East Walmart creates approximately 400 new jobs
- Store open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week<
NEW ORLEANS, June 4, 2014 – A new Walmart opened Wednesday, June 11, after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, at 8 a.m. The new store at 6000 Bullard Ave. is conveniently located off of I-10 and is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. It provides New Orleans residents shopping convenience for their grocery and general merchandise needs. The store also offers pharmacy services. The new Walmart aides in the revitalization of New Orleans East, a community that has been underserved since Hurricane Katrina. Approximately 400 jobs have been filled and twenty-five of these hires are associates formerly employed at the New Orleans East Walmart prior to Hurricane Katrina.
“The New Orleans East Walmart is yet another example of the retail boom we’re experiencing all across the city of New Orleans,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “This store will create approximately 400 jobs and provide an opportunity for our residents to shop and work where they live. This is another step in rebuilding our city and restoring quality services in our neighborhoods."
“The opening of this new Walmart not only gives the residents of District E the convenience of shopping nearby, it allows the City of New Orleans to capture sales taxes on the millions that will be spent here every year -- tax money that can be used to replace street lights and pave roads,” said District E Councilmember James A. Gray II. “Additionally, Walmart acts as a magnet for development. My office has talked with numerous businesses about locating to District E. Everyone is very interested now that Walmart is opening. District E is booming.”
Fannie C. Williams Charter School marching band helped kick off the grand opening ceremony and led the procession once doors opened at 8 a.m. Local vendors including Community Coffee, Cajun Country, Abita Root Beer, and Manda Fine Meats participated in the grand opening events, offering guests samples of their products.
Shopping Convenience
The store features quality, value-priced general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, toys, sporting goods, and lawn and garden items. It also offers a full line of groceries, including organic and natural selections in addition to local favorites.
The pharmacy offers a full range of products and services. Pharmacy team members can answer product and prescription questions and customers can ask about health and wellness solutions.
Community Giving
The grand-opening media sneak peak included presentations of $4,000 in grants from Walmart to local community groups.
Recipients included Fannie C. Williams Charter School, Blessed 26 and Greater St. Stephen Ministries.
In addition to the grants given as part of the grand opening, the new store will further Walmart’s pledge to fight hunger in America. As part of Walmart’s and the Walmart Foundation’s $2 billion commitment to fight hunger through 2015, Walmart stores in Louisiana donated approximately 12.9 million pounds of food, in fiscal year 2014, or the equivalent of 10 million meals. Additionally, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $24.1 million in fiscal year 2014 in Louisiana alone. As of January 2014, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have donated 1.58 billion pounds of food, the equivalent of approximately 1.32 billion meals, and have awarded $260 million in grants to hunger relief programs in the United States, exceeding their original commitment by four percent. Overall, Walmart has exceeded $2 billion of cash and in-kind commitments to fight hunger at the local, state and national levels. For more information on Walmart’s fight against hunger, visit http://foundation.walmart.com/our-focus/hunger.
New Store, New Jobs
The new store employs approximately 400 full- and part-time associates. Store manager Michael Nowell began his Walmart career in 2000 as a co-manager of the store in Harvey.
“This store will provide New Orleans shoppers with a convenient shopping option,” said Nowell. “Our team has been working hard to prepare the store and we welcome residents to join us in celebrating on grand opening day.”
A Big Family Welcome
Walmart is happy to be part of the New Orleans community and is ready to celebrate with residents on Saturday, June 14. A Big Family Welcome will give customers a chance to meet Nowell and enjoy fun family activities such as face painting, cupcake decorating and free food samples while supplies last. Join the celebration from noon to 3 p.m.
Join the Conversation
Walmart invites New Orleans shoppers to share their in-store experience on Facebook and Twitter by using #MyNewWalmart. Visit the My Local Walmart Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/walmart912. Fans of the local page can receive information about rollbacks, in-store events, meal solutions and more.
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 245 million customers and members visit our 11,302 stores under 71 banners in 27 countries and ecommerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2014 sales of over $473 billion, Walmart employs more than 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/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
FACT SHEET
New Orleans Walmart
Store facts
- Location: 6000 Bullard Ave., New Orleans
- Size: Approximately 177,000 square feet
- Store manager: Michael Nowell
- Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week
- Grand opening: Wednesday, June 11, following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:00 a.m.
Store features
- Full line of groceries, including:
- Fresh produce
- Bakery
- Self-serve deli
- Prepared meal options
- Organic/natural selections
- General merchandise categories include:
- Family apparel
- Health and beauty aids
- Electronics
- Toys
- Lawn and garden items
- Jewelry
- Automotive products
- Home furnishings
- Hardware
- Sporting goods
- Pet supplies
- Household goods
Convenience services include:
- Pharmacy
- Tire & Lube
- Vision Center
- Digital-photo processing center
- Walmart Site-to-Store
Charitable giving
- $5,000 in grants from Walmart will be presented to area organizations
Employment
- Number of jobs created: Approximately 400
- Full- and part-time positions
Retailtainment
- Saturday, June 14, from noon to 3 p.m.
For more information
- Media contact: Ann Fabens-Lassen, The Ehrhardt Group, 267-738-2978
- Walmart Media Relations, 800-331-0085
- Walmart information online: www.corporate.walmart.com; merchandise sales: www.walmart.com