BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Supercenters here is fine-tuning its food mix for midsize to large supercenters.
cupied by in-store restaurants, expanding the selection of home meal replacement items and relocating the in-store delicatessen to the front of the store, adjacent to the bakery, Laura Pope, a Wal-Mart spokes-person, told SN last week.
These changes were put in place at a 208,000-square-foot supercenter that opened recently in the Tulsa, Okla., suburb of Broken Arrow; Pope said they will be incorporated into future midsize to large supercenters.
According to Pope, the beverage department in the Broken Arrow supercenter was moved to the rear of the store, to the area formerly occupied by either McDonald's or Wal-Mart's own Radio Grill restaurant.
The Radio Grill at Broken Arrow has been moved to the front of the store for easier access; there are entrances from inside the store and from outside, Pope said. The new store features the company's most expanded selection of frozen convenience meals, displayed adjacent to the frozen foods section, Pope said.
The delicatessen, which traditionally has been located in the back of the supercenters, has been moved up front near the store's entrance, adjacent to the in-store bakery, Pope said.
The Broken Arrow store has clearer sight lines, and a low-rise look in the apparel department that makes it easier for customers to see the food side of the store; fewer overhead signs; wider aisles, and a cluster of pharmacy, health and beauty care items, cosmetics and jewelry near the general merchandise entrance.
The company said it expects to open its new 40,000-square-foot prototype, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, in early October.