Walmart to Add 150 U.S. Stores Over Five Years
Walmart will build or convert more than 150 U.S. stores over the next five years, while continuing to remodel 650 existing stores, the retail giant revealed in a Jan. 31 news release.
The company already has more than 4,600 stores across the country and hasn’t opened a new location since 2021.
Some of the smaller stores will be converted to larger formats, but most of the new stores will be supercenters. These efforts represent millions of dollars in capital investment of labor, supplies and tax revenue, per the release.
The first two new stores under this initiative, both Neighborhood Markets, are set to open later this Spring in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida and Atlanta. Walmart is also finalizing construction plans on 12 new projects slated to start this year, along with converting one of its smaller locations to a supercenter.
[Also Read: Inside A Revamped Walmart Store]
During the next 12 months, Walmart said it would remodel 650 stores across 47 states and Puerto Rico.
The new and remodeled stores will reflect Walmart's “Store of the Future” concept, featuring improved and more modern layouts, expanded product selections and innovative technology that helps associates better support customers.
More specifically, some enhancements include: a refreshed interior and exterior, new signage, a front-end transformation, a new “Dollar Shop” and more displays and elevated departments.
“Customers love this concept in the places we’ve already rolled it out, and we’re excited to transition more and more of our fleet,” John Furner, president and CEO, Walmart U.S., wrote in the release.
In addition, Furner says these new facilities will be designed with sustainability in mind, including more energy-efficient equipment and lighting and lower-impact refrigerants. The retailer is also working on developing a “coast-to-coast network” of electric vehicle fast-charging stations.
The retailer says these projects will add “tens of thousands” of jobs in addition to the hundreds of jobs each new store opening will bring to communities.
In related news, Walmart Canada is also focusing on the in-store experience by investing nearly $1 billion this fiscal year to enhance its omnichannel customer experience as part of a multiyear modernization plan, the retailer announced in December 2023. This investment comprises more than $300 million for store remodels and renovations, including to what Walmart is calling its Canadian “store of the future.”
