Walmart Debuts 117 Digital-First Stores

Walmart is celebrating the re-grand opening of 117 remodeled stores across the United States Monday (Oct. 30), marking the largest single-day rollout of re-grand openings in its history.

It’s the latest step in a process in which Walmart has invested over $9 billion to upgrade more than 1,400 stores nationwide over the past two years, Hunter Hart, senior vice president at Walmart Realty, said in a Monday blog post on the retailer’s website.

“Every change is thoughtful,” Hart said in the post. “They all ladder up to a greater goal: to meet our customers wherever they are, leveraging our stores to welcome people to a more modern, highly-connected Walmart.”

As they approach the remodeled stores, customers will see refreshed exteriors and interiors that feature new paint, signs and more shopping carts, according to the post.

Inside the store, Walmart has expanded its pharmacies and updated its vision centers, the post said. Pharmacies have been moved toward the front of the store, offering new private screening rooms for pharmacist consultations and services. The vision center experience has also been redesigned, providing an expanded assortment of designer eyeglasses and sunglasses.

Walmart has also added “activated corners” with interactive displays that allow customers to engage with items, per the post. In addition, big and bulky merchandise has been pulled from boxes so customers can better experience the items. Digital touchpoints have also been strategically placed throughout the store to provide customers with more information on products and services.

The remodeled stores also have more space, according to the post. Having more room makes the shopping experience easier for customers and allows associates to work more efficiently. There’s also more room for Walmart’s Pickup and Delivery business.

At the front of each location, the remodeled stores include a new dollar shop featuring seasonally-relevant products, a Grab and Go section offering a variety of convenient food options, and refreshed checkout areas providing options such as a Walmart+ express lane or touch-free Walmart Pay, the post said.

“We have plans to continue our remodel program into 2024, bringing updated stores to more of the communities we serve,” Hart said in the post.

Consumers are increasingly prioritizing convenience when making shopping decisions, leading to the rise of the “one-stop-shop“ concept, Denise Incandela, executive vice president of apparel and private brands at Walmart, told PYMNTS in an interview posted in September.

“We’re on a journey right now,” Incandela said as she described the progress of Walmart’s store renovation efforts. “We really focused on creating an inspiring shopping experience where the product is the hero.”

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