Thursday, April 8, 2010

New-look Walmarts on the way

Walmart's expansion in the Charlotte area marches on - as passers-by have seen firsthand on U.S. 521 in Indian Land, S.C., just over the state line, south of Ballantyne. The new supercenter going up there is slated for an August grand opening, the company says, for inquiring minds who might wish to know. 

But the world's largest retailer isn't standing pat on its existing locations, either, some of which have begun to look more dated on the inside compared with newer layouts. At least two local supercenters are now undergoing major overhauls, and others are likely to follow, as part of a nationwide renovation effort slated to hit 70 percent of the company's U.S. stores by the end of 2012. The effort is intended to boost returns at existing stores by introducing the latest store designs, which are based on customer feedback.

Work is now in progress at the Mountain Island Walmart, at N.C. 16 and Mount Holly-Huntersville Road in Charlotte, and the West Gastonia location on N. Myrtle School Road. At Mountain Island, the work is expected to wrap up in June, while the Gastonia store is aiming for a May finish. The stores are remaining open during construction, the bulk of which will be done in overnight hours. Improvements include a new layout, wider aisles, low-profile shelving, bright interior paint schemes, enhanced lighting and easy-to-read signage - the very things you'll also see in the newest Walmarts locally, such as the store on Thunder Road near Concord Mills.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Improvements include a new layout, wider aisles, low-profile shelving, bright interior paint schemes, enhanced lighting and easy-to-read signage..."

Sounds like Walmart copied the Target floorplan. Walmart is attempting to improve it's image, but it will be an uphill battle.

Algernon said...

Hey Jenn,

throw out an educated one on what would happen to Walmart if the feds suddenly, overnight, imposed a 50% straight up "import tax" on Chinese made products?

John said...

Hate the supercenters! It takes far too long and requires far too much walking to find what I need. When I want groceries, I will go to a grocery store. I can no longer go to Wal-Mart when I have just a few things I want to buy because I will almost always have to wander the ENTIRE store to pick-up just a few (even related) items! The new store in the University area is poorly laid out and the parking lot access if FAR more congested than the previous location... which is now sitting empty and killing the surrounding businesses. Wal-Mart is becoming the business equivelent of the gas-guzzler... waste and throw away! Moved my business to Target because at least they treat their employees better!

Anonymous said...

The Wal-Mart on Eastway and Central looks like it was one of the first ten Wal-Marts ever built but *somehow* I don't think fixing this one up is on Wal-Mart's radar...

Anonymous said...

Walmart is evil.

Anonymous said...

You forgot to mention the new Walmart going up on Independence Blvd.

Anonymous said...

lol, be prepared to trying to find something. Things will be moved around 3 or 4 times before in final place. Once finished the new design is great though. Our store where i am was finished last fall

Jen Aronoff said...

Anonymous at 5:30 p.m., the Eastway store is going to be replaced by the new Walmart planned for Independence Boulevard, on the site of Amity Gardens shopping center - which the commenter at 11:51 noted, too. It's slated to open early next year.

Anonymous said...

Wally Mart is the anti-christ of American Business. Contributed to the demise of several core industries by beating down suppliers on costs, then returning for more discounts until they jumped to Mexico, then China. Think about it, do you really expect to pay the same price for textile products that you paid in 1980? They have improved the Chinese manufacturing base, and scorned Made in USA for ridiculous profits and heading towards a monopoly. Sears/K-Mart should have embraced the "buy American" mentality when possible to compete with this master plan to take over the retail world...

Anonymous said...

People who call Walmart "evil" must not know what it's like to struggle without jobs for 1 1/2 to 2 years. I am grateful that there is a place where I can go to buy shoes for my kids for $12, or a basket full of food for $15-20 less than anywhere else. When you have NO money, and no hope of money coming in, that small savings adds up....it's gas for my car, or money for toilet paper or soap, or even the difference between paying my mortgage payment in full (29 days late) or going into foreclosure.

So if you HATE Walmart and choose not to shop there only on principle, consider yourself lucky. And maybe at the same time, take it a little easy on those of us who don't have as many options as the privileged.