SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 500th Walmart Neighborhood Market is opening Wednesday, Jan. 7, following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m. The new store is conveniently located at East Sunshine Street and Blackman Road and is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. The store will provide Springfield residents with low prices on a broad assortment of merchandise including fresh produce and meats, frozen foods, groceries and pharmacy.
The first Walmart Neighborhood Market opened in 1998, and the opening of the new store in Springfield marks 500 Walmart Neighborhood Market locations nationwide. The store will mark the occasion with special guest Missouri State Senator Mike Parson and Springfield Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Seifried attending the grand-opening ceremony.
“We have deep roots in Missouri and we are proud to open our 500th Neighborhood Market right here in Springfield,” said Walmart Vice President and Regional General Manager Nick Berkeley. “Our customers tell us they like the convenience of Walmart Neighborhood Market stores for their grocery and pharmacy needs and we look forward to serving our customers here.”
Customers can shop additional items including top toys, gifts, electronics and home decor on Walmart.com through Walmart pickup, which will offer free shipping to the Springfield Walmart Neighborhood Market. They can also use Walmart’s new Savings Catcher receipt comparison tool to feel more confident they are getting some of the best deals available in Springfield. Savings Catcher looks at other top retailers’ local ads and gives customers an eGift card for the difference if a competitor’s offering is lower than the price they paid at Walmart. Savings Catcher is available through the free Walmart mobile app.
“I am proud that Springfield was chosen to be the site of the 500th Walmart Neighborhood Market opening,” said store manager Jim Russell. “This is an exciting moment for Walmart but an even more exciting time for the city of Springfield as this will provide a new convenient and affordable shopping option for residents.”
Fresh, Affordable Groceries
The new Springfield Walmart Neighborhood Market store offers fresh produce and a full line of groceries from leading brand names, including organic selections. By working with growers Walmart is able to provide farm-grown quality produce at added convenience and low prices.
The Right Size Store Offering More Convenience
The new store is approximately 41,000 square feet and offers a wide assortment to meet the needs of Springfield residents. In addition to groceries, the store features health and beauty aids, baby and pet products and cleaning supplies. Shopping is more convenient than ever as Springfield residents can shop an assortment of 7 million items on Walmart.com, many of which can be shipped for free to the new Walmart Neighborhood Market.
The pharmacy offers a full range of products and services and pharmacy team members are ready to assist customers with product and prescription questions. Springfield residents can easily transfer prescriptions and order refills on the go with the Walmart mobile app for iPhone and Android.
New Store, New Jobs for Springfield
The new store employs up to 95 jobs full- and part-time associates. Store manager Jim Russell began his Walmart career 17 years ago as a cashier, an hourly associate.
Giving Back to Springfield
The grand-opening celebration includes presentations of $13,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local community groups, including the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield, Crosslines of Springfield, Springfield Catholic High School, Glendale High School, Logan-Rogersville High School, Greene County Humane Society, Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Logan-Rogersville Fire Department, Greene County Sheriff and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“We are excited both in southeast Springfield and at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Springfield for the opening of the new Walmart Neighborhood market on East Sunshine Street,” said Cindy Dodson, Boys and Girls Club of Springfield college scholarship and volunteer director. “This new store will give the ever growing east side of Springfield a convenient, quality location to shop and will be a great addition as a partner to non-profits such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Springfield! We look forward to working with the manager Jim Russell and his staff in the New Year!”
In addition to the grants given as part of the grand opening, the new store will further Walmart’s pledge to fight hunger in America. As part of Walmart’s and the Walmart Foundation’s $2 billion commitment to fight hunger through 2015, Walmart stores in Missouri donated approximately 23.7 million pounds of food, in fiscal year 2014, or the equivalent of 19.7 million meals. Additionally, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $43.2 million in fiscal year 2014 in Missouri alone. For more information on Walmart’s fight against hunger, visit http://foundation.walmart.com/our-focus/hunger.
A Big Family Welcome
Walmart is happy to be part of the Springfield community and is ready to celebrate with residents on Saturday, Jan. 10. A Big Family Welcome will give customers a chance to meet Russell and enjoy fun family activities such as face painting, cupcake decorating and free food samples while supplies last. Join the celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere — in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 250 million customers and members visit our 11,202 stores under 71 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2014 sales of over $473 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://corporate.walmart.com 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.
Source: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
