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Wal-Mart Opens Third Neighborhood Market in Louisville Area


WEBWIRE

LOUISVILLE, Ky., – Wal-Mart opens its third Neighborhood Market in the Louisville area in early March, bringing its discount groceries to the Poplar Level neighborhood and announcing $20,000 in grants to local organizations. Doors to the new store will open to the public Wednesday, March 7, at 8 a.m., following a 7:30 a.m. grand opening ceremony. The store is located at 3109 Poplar Level Rd.

Wal-Mart introduced its Neighborhood Market format in 1998 to offer a convenient “neighborhood shopping” experience for customers who need groceries, pharmaceuticals and general merchandise. Generally, they are located in markets with Wal-Mart Supercenters, supplementing a strong food distribution network and providing added convenience while maintaining Wal-Mart’s Every Day Low Prices. The Poplar Level store will be the fourth Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market in Kentucky. The first opened in Jeffersontown in October 2003; Lexington saw the opening of its new Neighborhood Market just last week. Wal-Mart currently has more than 100 Neighborhood Market stores open, mostly located in the Southeast.

Neighborhood Convenience
The store is near Norton Audubon Hospital and several area parks. “Our customers now have access to Wal-Mart’s discount groceries right in their own neighborhood. We’re a convenient place to pick up a pastry on your way to work, get supplies before a day in the park, or pick up a card and flowers before visiting family members and friends at the hospital,” said Store Manager Brad Sturgill.

Designed as a smaller, convenient family shopping center, the Poplar Level Neighborhood Market will also provide the local community another destination for groceries at the Wal-Mart value price. The store features a full line of groceries including bakery goods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, fresh produce and a variety of organic offerings. It also has a full deli offering rotisserie chicken and a wide variety of fresh prepared foods including sandwiches, salads, desserts, bottled drinks, milk, juices, waters and energy drinks. Cosmetics, toiletries, liquor, stationery, paper goods, pet products and hardware items are also available.

The 39,690-square-foot Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is designed for customer convenience throughout. Customers headed to the nearby hospital will find cards, fresh flowers, balloons and other gift items located near the front of the store as an added time-saving feature. They can drop off film at the half-hour photo processing lab and pick up photos while they shop. The store also features a drive-through pharmacy with two drive-up lanes. It will be open to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The store will have six full-service and six self check-out lanes.

A “Grab-N-Go” bar will be located just inside the front doors of the new store, where customers can grab a newspaper, doughnut, pastry, coffee or fountain drink and drop their money in an “honor-system” box. “Our ‘Grab-N-Go’ bar will offer residents another convenience to this quick, easy shopping experience that we want to be reminiscent of a small, neighborhood store,” Sturgill said.

A Focus on Community Needs
Though smaller than a typical Wal-Mart, the Neighborhood Market will open with a large community impact, providing more than $20,000 in donations to several children’s health organizations and public safety agencies. EDITOR’S

“We know that financial support to our local organizations makes a real difference, and we will play a role in continuing Wal-Mart’s commitment to the Louisville community,” Sturgill said. “Like all Wal-Mart stores, the new Poplar Level Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market will work with neighborhood organizations to provide support and community grants throughout the year.”

Store Employs 130 Associates
Upon opening, the store plans to employ approximately 130 associates. More than 600 applications have been received, as of Feb. 24. The average wage for regular, full-time hourly associates in Kentucky is $10.37 per hour.*

“Great career opportunities, fantastic benefits and lasting friendships are just a few of the positive aspects of becoming a Wal-Mart associate,” Sturgill said. He began his own Wal-Mart career as an hourly associate in 1996, working as a cashier at a store in Richmond.

Celebration Begins at 7:30 a.m. March 7
A grand opening ceremony will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 7. As part of the celebration, Wal-Mart associate Russell Price will give the invocation and representatives from the Greater Louisville Inc. Metro Chamber of Commerce will help cut the ribbon to the new store. Activities will take place throughout the day and include numerous product samples and demonstrations and give-aways.

• Editors’ Note: A special invitation-only open house for VIPs, Wal-Mart associates and their families is scheduled for Sunday, March 4, beginning at 6 p.m. Preview tours will be provided and checks will be presented to members of community organizations. Reporters and photographers are welcome.

Wal-Mart Economic Impact in Kentucky
EDITOR’S NOTE: See www.walmartfacts.com for more information about Wal-Mart in Kentucky.

As of January 2007, Wal-Mart employed 30,996 associates and owned and operated the following facilities in the state of Kentucky:

• Supercenters: 65
• Discount Stores: 17
• Neighborhood Markets: 2
• SAM’S CLUBS: 7
• Distribution Centers: 2

During its fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2006, Wal-Mart paid more than $218.1 million in sales tax and more than $28.6 million in state and local taxes in the state of Kentucky.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, more than 127 million customers visit Wal-Mart 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 $245 million to local communities in the United States. To learn more, visit www.walmartfacts.com, www.walmartstores.com, or www.walmartfoundation.org.

EDITOR’S NOTES
• Brad Sturgill, store manager, can provide details about the grand opening, offer quotes for interviews and arrange for photo opportunities or preview tours. He can be contacted at (502) 636-4356.
• Wal-Mart information online: www.walmartfacts.com; merchandise sales: www.walmart.com.
* Average wage as of December 2005. See www.walmartfacts.com for state details.


Fact Sheet
Louisville Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market

Store fast facts
• Location: 3109 Poplar Level Rd., Louisville, Ky.
• 39,690-square-foot Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market
• Store opening 8 a.m., Wednesday, March 7; 7:30 a.m. grand opening ceremony
• Store manager: Brad Sturgill

Charitable giving
• $20,000 in charitable contributions to six area organizations

• Camp Taylor Fire District-Jefferson County
• Cerebral Palsy KIDS Center
• Children’s Hospital Foundation
• City of Louisville Metro Police Department
• Parent-Teacher Organization for Mentally Handicapped Children
• Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky Inc.

Store features
• Wide variety of products, including fresh produce, deli foods, fresh meat and dairy items, health and beauty aids, half-hour photo developing service, drive-through pharmacy, liquor department, stationery and paper goods, pet supplies and household cleaning supplies
• Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Six full-service and six self check-out lanes
• “Grab-N-Go” area with drinks, pastries, newspapers, snacks

Employment
• 130 total planned employment; more than 600 applications
• The average wage for regular, full-time hourly associates in Kentucky is $10.37 per hour.*
• Store Manager Brad Sturgill began his Wal-Mart career as an hourly associate in 1996, working as a cashier at a store in Richmond.
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