DENVER – Walmart Neighborhood Market stores are coming to Colorado this month, providing a new store format and convenient shopping to customers. Five stores will open in the Denver area this month and will bring 400 new jobs to the area and a boost to local economic development efforts, as all five stores are located in buildings that formerly housed Albertson’s stores. A total of $25,000 will be distributed to local organizations in celebration of the store openings.
The stores are located at:
•14605 W. 64th Ave., Arvada (opening June 20)
•1442 S. Parker Road, Denver (opening June 20)
•16746 E. Smoky Hill Road, Centennial (opening June 20)
•3615 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton (opening June 29)
•5141 Chambers Road, Denver (opening June 29)
"Metro Denver is leading the nation in job growth,” said Tom Clark, CEO of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. “Walmart's decision to make a multi-million dollar investment in our region demonstrates that the nation's largest retailer has confidence in the strength of our market today and into the future."
New Store Features
The first Walmart Neighborhood Market opened in 1998 in Bentonville, Ark., and was designed to provide quick and convenient shopping for groceries, pharmacy items and general merchandise.
The Denver stores range in size from 48,000- to 57,000-square feet, and each one features a self-serve deli, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as meats, cheeses and prepared foods. In addition to the fresh produce and fresh-baked bread items, the stores will carry a full line of groceries, including frozen foods, meat and dairy products, and organic items. Customers will be able to find locally popular items such as potatoes, El Dorado Water, Boulder Canyon Chips, La Favorita Tortilla Chips and Canino’s products including bratwurst and sausage. The stores will each carry low-alcohol beer.
The stores have pharmacies staffed by full-time pharmacy managers and offer a full selection of health-related products and a health and beauty area. Additional areas include stationery, paper goods, pet products, hardware items and a Celebration Station, where customers can buy gift wrap and gift bags, greeting cards and party supplies. Customers can also print their own digital photos at the stores, which will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The stores will offer Site-to-Store services, a regular feature at other Walmart stores, but not typical for a Walmart Neighborhood Market. 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.
All Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets participate in the Pay with Cash program. This allows customers to order online at www.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.
$25,000 in Grand-Opening Grants Given to Community Groups
The grand-opening celebrations include presenting $25,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local community groups. Each store will distribute the grants to local organizations within their community, and additional funds will be available throughout the year. Interested groups can visit walmartstores.com/communitygiving for more information.
Ribbon-Cutting Celebrations June 20 and June 29
Store associates at each location will host a grand-opening celebration the morning their stores open to the public. Ceremony details vary slightly from store to store, but each store’s event will include a brief presentation by store management and local dignitaries, followed by a ribbon-cutting where doors to the new store will be opened to the public. All stores will be open by 8 a.m. Special events on grand-opening day and continuing, through the weekend, include character appearances, product giveaways and samplings, and other events.
Opening Creates Approximately 400 Jobs
Approximately 400 part- and full-time jobs were created by the store’s opening. The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Colorado is approximately $13.24 per hour.* Walmart’s benefit program is available to eligible full- and part-time associates and provides a variety of affordable health and well-being benefits including medical insurance with no lifetime maximum. Walmart also offers matching 401(k) contributions of up to 6 percent of pay, discounts on general merchandise for store associates, an Associate Stock Purchase Program and company-paid life insurance. Additionally, eligible associates receive a quarterly incentive based on store performance.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 10,130 retail units under 69 different banners in 27 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 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://walmartstores.com, and 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
Denver Neighborhood Markets
Store facts
•Locations:
14605 W. 64th Ave., Arvada (opening June 20)
1442 S. Parker Road, Denver (opening June 20)
16746 E. Smoky Hill Road, Centennial (opening June 20)
3615 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton (opening June 29)
5141 Chambers Road, Denver (opening June 29)
•Store managers:
Mark Gardner (Arvada store)
Aundrell Johnson (S. Parker Road store)
Mike McLane (Centennial store)
Jennifer Plant (Littleton store)
Steve Hundley (Chambers Road store)
Store features
•Full line of groceries, including a bakery, self-serve deli, meat and dairy products, fresh produce, frozen foods and organic items
•Additional merchandise includes health and beauty aids, pet and cleaning products, hardware and stationery
•Convenience services include pharmacy, digital photo processing center, Walmart Site-to-Store and Pay With Cash
Charitable giving
•$25,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local organizations
Employment
•Stores will employ a total of approximately 400 associates
•Nearly 75 percent of Walmart store management teams began their careers as hourly associates.
•The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Colorado is approximately $13.24 per hour.*
•Walmart’s benefit program is available to eligible full- and part-time associates and provides a variety of affordable health and well-being benefits including medical insurance with no lifetime maximum. Walmart also offers matching 401(k) contributions of up to 6 percent of pay, discounts on general merchandise for store associates, an Associate Stock Purchase Program and company-paid life insurance. Additionally, eligible associates receive a quarterly incentive based on store performance.
* Average wage taken April 2012. See www.walmartstores.com for details..
Source: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.