New Supermercado de Walmart Opens in Houston

Newly redesigned Neighborhood Market converted to better serve needs of local community

HOUSTON, Texas, April 28, 2009 – Walmart’s first Supermercado de Walmart will open its doors to the public in Houston on Wednesday, April 29. The newly remodeled Hispanic grocery store, located at 7960 Long Point Road at Wirt, features a new layout and product assortment designed to make it more relevant to local Hispanic customers. A grand-opening ceremony will commence at 7:30 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and activities for the entire family.

“We are excited to introduce a new and authentic shopping experience that will better serve the needs of the community and will be more relevant to local customers,” says Jose Antonio Fernandez, vice president of business development for Walmart. “Our new store offers unbeatable prices* on a wide selection of fresh and authentic foods including popular national brands from Mexico and the United States,” added Fernandez.

Supermercado de Walmart is an evolution of Walmart’s ongoing efforts to be more relevant to its Hispanic customers. Through Walmart's store-of-the-community program, stores are merchandised to meet the diverse needs of local customers in each community. “We’ve listened to our customers and have designed the store to include the products and services they need and want.”

Product and Service Offering
The 39,000-square-foot store will carry approximately 13,000 products including a wide assortment of fresh tropical fruits and vegetables and a bakery that offers more than 40 traditional sweet breads and fresh corn tortillas. The store’s meat department features specialty meats such as milanesa, diezmillo, fajitas, chuleta de cerdo, carnes marinadas and arrachera, designed to meet the specific preferences of local Hispanic customers.

“Our customers can also visit our in-store cocina where we will serve traditional Hispanic food like tacos, tortas, aguas frescas, sopes, carnitas and barbacoa at low prices,” Fernandez says. “We’ll also have a seating area where families can relax and enjoy meals together.”

In addition to the wide assortment of fresh products, dry groceries and consumables, Supermercado de Walmart will also offer customers a pharmacy with hundreds of $4 prescriptions, health and beauty aids, a Walmart MoneyCenter, a baby center and a party center.

Commitment to the Local Community
As part of Walmart’s commitment to the community, the store will provide $10,000 in grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation to four local organizations. The Holy Cross Lutheran Food Pantry, Spring Branch Family Development Center, Treasure Forest Elementary School and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will each receive a $2,500 grant.

“We are proud to give back to our local community,” says Store Manager David Cruz. “We realize that financial support to local organizations helps make a real difference in the community and we will continue to play a role in supporting our community’s needs.”

Store to Open with 130 Associates
The new store will employ approximately 130 associates. “We are excited to bring good jobs with career opportunities to the area,” said Cruz.

The average wage for full-time hourly Walmart associates in Texas is $11.03. Wal-Mart benefits are available to full- and part-time associates and include healthcare insurance with no lifetime maximum. Wal-Mart also offers a 401(k) plan and profit sharing contributions, whether an associate contributes or not, store discount cards, company performance-based bonuses, stock purchase program, and life insurance.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $296 million to local communities in the United States. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.

EDITOR’S NOTES:
* Walmart stores will match the price of any local competitor’s printed ad for an identical product. Not applicable to Walmart.com. Restrictions apply. See store for details.

FACT SHEET
Houston Supermercado de Walmart

Store fast facts

   * Location: 7960 Long Point Road, Houston, Texas 77055
   * 39,000-square-foot former Neighborhood Market
   * Grand-Opening Ceremony: Wednesday, April 29 at 7:30 a.m.; doors open at 8:30 a.m.
   * Store Manager: David Cruz
   * Opening Hours: 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week

Store features

   * Wide selection of fresh produce, a bakery with fresh baked bread and traditional favorites like bolillo and hot tortillas, a meat department featuring specialty meats, and a wide assortment of dry grocery and consumables, including popular brands from the United States and Mexico
   * A cocina with traditional Hispanic foods such as tacos, toratas, aguas frescas, sopes, carnitas, barbacoa and seating area where customers can sit and enjoy meals with family
   * Pharmacy with $4 prescription program, baby center and a party center
   * A Walmart MoneyCenter offering convenient access to low-cost money services, including check cashing, money orders, bill payment and money transfers.

Charitable giving

   * $10,000 in grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation to four area organizations
         o Holy Cross Lutheran Food Pantry
         o Spring Branch Family Development Center
         o Treasure Forest Elementary School
         o Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Employment

   * Approximately 130 positions are planned
   * The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Texas is approximately $11.03 per hour*
   * Wal-Mart benefits are available to eligible full- and part-time associates and include healthcare insurance with no lifetime maximum. Wal-Mart also offers a 401(k) plan and profit sharing contributions, whether an associate contributes or not, store discount cards, company performance-based bonuses, stock purchase program and life insurance

*Average wage taken April 2009. See www.walmartstores.com for details.

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Quoted:
Did you go to sporting goods? maybe they have those hand grenades and machine guns that are going to mexico?

Quoted:
It's the new Mexican Walmart. They said that they were going to do this next year. I think it's a good idea.

Quoted:


good marketing.

Quoted:
Looks like they have a shit load of security cameras to prevent vandalizing. Too bad.  Go back to Mexico if you want to shop like a mexxican.

Quoted:
http://www.pacersdigest.com/apache2-default/images/smilies/haha.jpg

Eric  

Quoted:
Did you go to sporting goods? maybe they have those hand grenades and machine guns that are going to mexico?

Quoted:
There's an explanation for this.  It's called "Reconquista".

Quoted:
walmart is going to get some hate mail from me.  

Quoted:
It's disgusting.

Quoted:
Wow. I would refuse to go in there. That's bullshit.

Quoted:


There is a reason Wal-Mart dominate retail, and that is because it knows how to cater to it's shoppers.

Why fault them for adjusting their store to the realities of the neighborhood?  Should they sit there in a sense of Enlglish superiority while a local Hispanic grocer opens up down the street and takes away business?