Walmart to unveil $500M remodel of 117 stores

Walmart on Friday will unveil 117 remodeled stores in 30 states, the culmination of more than a half a billion dollars in capital investments and the retail giant’s largest such rollout ever, the company announced Monday.

Updated stores will include a variety of enhancements, including new grab-and-go grocery offerings, more shopping carts, larger online grocery pickup and delivery areas, more staffed and self-checkout lanes, upgraded interactive displays and product showcases.

Remodeled stores will also feature new paint, flooring, modernized restrooms, fixtures and LED lighting, updated signage for easier navigation, and new digital touchpoints throughout the stores to communicate product information via QR codes.

Customers can also expect expanded pharmacies, many of which have been moved to the front of the store to include private health screening rooms, as well as added Vision Centers. The renovated Walmart locations, including Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets, will also include updated customer service areas, a Mother’s Room with private space for nursing, and a new Dollar Shop at store entrances with seasonal items.

“We’re investing more than $9 billion over a two-year period to upgrade and modernize more than 1,400 of our stores across the U.S.,” John Furner, Walmart U.S. CEO, said in a statement. “With nearly 90% of the U.S. population living within 10 miles of a Walmart, we understand how important our local stores are to customers and communities, and these construction investments allow us to create more local jobs and make it easier for our associates to get customers what they want, when they want it.”

The new store designs represent several years of work at Walmart.

In 2020, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer unveiled a new store design focused on navigation and wayfinding, with an emphasis on bringing digital tools into the physical space.

Early last year, Walmart debuted what it called a “signature experience” at a test store in Springdale, Arkansas, that centered on employing design to create a more interactive, leisurely in-store shopping experience that entices shoppers to discover new items.

Many elements of those previous design tests can be found in this large batch of redesigned stores.

“Each store’s reopening is part of Walmart’s Signature Experience, which seeks to inspire customers and provide them with a seamless, high-quality shopping experience,” Walmart said in a statement.

The grand reopenings, which Walmart is calling the “Second Best Day,” will be celebrated Friday with ceremonies, ribbon cuttings and family-friendly activities.

Walmart operates 10,500 stores in 19 countries, including more than 4,616 locations in the U.S.