Walmart announces major new store opening and remodel initiative

[ClownLoach]

Interesting to see the inclusion of building and opening new neighborhood markets.

https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2024 ... -more-jobs

[mbz321]

I didn't really think Walmart had much more room to grow in the U.S. at this point, and odd that they are focusing back on the Neighborhood Market concept after closing so many over the years. (Although they do seem to hold their own in FL with such limited competition.)

I was recently in a fully remodeled Supercenter though and it was quite nice (more like a Target atmosphere!), so IMO, they have a good thing going there.

[babs]

I've been traveling around Mexico and the stores down here are far better than any Walmart I've seen in the US. Clean, well faced and stocked. 2ho ever is running Mexico should be placed in charge of US stores

[mjhale]

I didn't really think Walmart had much more room to grow in the U.S. at this point, and odd that they are focusing back on the Neighborhood Market concept after closing so many over the years. (Although they do seem to hold their own in FL with such limited competition.)

Perhaps Walmart is thinking they can take advantage of dead retail spaces to continue to bring full grocery into areas that don't have space for or would not approve a Supercenter. I've always thought of a Neighborhood Market as a "Super" without the "Center". For someone who is a regular Walmart shopper or someone who is looking for better pricing versus traditional grocers, they might be willing to shop a Neighborhood Market. My observations at my local Walmart stores is that there isn't a lot of regular shopping going on outside of the departments that are duplicated at a traditional grocer.

[arizonaguy]

I think we're reading too much into the first two stores to open, these Neighborhood Markets.

The Atlanta store is a downgraded supercenter (downgrading into a Neighborhood Market) due to arson issues which closed the store and is not really "new".

https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/walm ... ood-market

The Florida location (as well as one in the Villages) has been in the works for a while but work was paused when Walmart imposed their moratorium on new store construction.

Based upon what other articles I've read seem to be saying, the majority of these new stores will be Supercenters and will be new build stores.

[storewanderer]

I'd like to see a break out on Supercenters vs. Neighborhood Markets for these new stores.

Really hoping the strongly rumored new Supercenter in Dayton, NV is one of these in the initial group of 12 to begin development in 2024.

I also think announcing 150 stores over a fairly long time span is an attainable goal that they will meet. They aren't saying they are going to do 500 Neighborhood Markets in the next 5 years or some crazy promise they'll never meet.

I also think there are plenty of expansion opportunities in new suburbs and medium markets that previously had one Wal Mart but could now use two, for example.

[storewanderer]

I've been traveling around Mexico and the stores down here are far better than any Walmart I've seen in the US. Clean, well faced and stocked. 2ho ever is running Mexico should be placed in charge of US stores

Could probably say the same for a lot of businesses in Mexico. McDonalds, etc...

[Romr123]

I could see some effort to do Neighborhood Markets in under-penetrated regions for them (Upper Midwest particularly)...where they have a single Supercenter, putting a NM on the other side of town (somewhat akin to what Meijer is doing with Fresh Thyme on a less upscale side)--some of those mid-sized Michigan/Indiana/Ohio cities with one or two Supercenters, putting a 3rd NM at a freeway exit/suburban strip/edge of town situation.

[buckguy]

Their press release and most of the stories indicate 150 new or enlarged Walmarts, and not any neighborhood markets. they have 3500 regular Walmarts in the US. Even if less than half of these 150 are enlargements or replacements, it's really a drop in the bucket for them. It does provide a rationale for quietly closing some neighborhood markets and it is consistent with their tendency to close non-supercenter stores last year. It does create potential, additional volume, but it doesn't solve the problem of their sluggish performance over time, especially with respect to non-foods.

It seems like their current strategy is to look like they're doing something when they really aren't. They've done this by offering lowball projections that they "exceed" when they report quarterly results. The 650 remodels sounds like a lot but they have done far more radical remodeling programs in the past.

[Brian Lutz]

If we're talking about building out new full-line Walmart stores I would imagine a lot of their focus would be on growing exurban areas. It seems a lot of growth is happening in those areas as people look for less expensive houses than you would find in the cities and suburbs, and there are a fair number of these that don't have a lot of shopping nearby.