Walmart Pumps $500M-Plus Into Store Renos

Walmart (Bentonville, Ark.) is celebrating the re-grand opening of 117 remodeled stores across the country, an investment of more than a half-billion dollars in 30 states. Walmart disclosed the news in an article on its website bearing the byline of Hunter Hart, SVP, Walmart Realty.

“For us, this is a huge deal,” Hart wrote. “It’s the largest single-day rollout of re-grand openings in the history of Walmart, and while massive in its own right, this week’s events are but a tile in the mosaic – we’ve invested over $9 billion in the past two years to upgrade more than 1400 stores across the country. Each store is designed to deliver a more modern shopping experience and improve the lives of our associates and customers from the moment they step into the new space.”

The updates include:

• Refreshed exteriors and interiors feature new paint, new signs and more shopping carts. Once inside, customers will see a new checkout design based on customer feedback.
• New activated corners feature displays that let customers interact with items, while other departments are pulling big and bulky merchandise from boxes so customers can touch, feel and visualize how it fits into their lives. “And when you want to learn more about something, we have an answer for that too, as digital touchpoints have been placed throughout the store to provide more info on products and services,” Hart says.
• A home department that now includes bedroom decor displays showing bed, bedding, night stand, pillows and accessories combinations.
• More room. “We’ve laid out our reopened stores to feature more space, making exploration and experience easier than ever. While this is good news for our customers, it’s great news for our associates, whose jobs become easier when space expands. Whether they’re picking orders for delivery, or helping a customer locate a spice blend to perfect their latest culinary creation, more room makes it easier for our associates to do their jobs. And more room creates a better digital experience too, as expanded areas for our growing Pickup & Delivery business mean regardless of how a customer chooses to shop with us, they’ll benefit from our upgrades.”
• A new dollar shop with seasonally relevant products and a Grab & Go section that makes it easy for shoppers to buy a wrap, sandwich or cold drink.
• Expanded pharmacies and updated vision centers. “Many pharmacies have moved toward the front of the store, with new private screening rooms for pharmacist consultations and services,” Hart noted. “The vision center experience is designed around customers too, offering an expanded assortment of designer eyeglasses and sunglasses plus prescription options.”