Pennsylvania customers gaining more convenience and shopping options across the state

HARRISBURG, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Building on its commitment to save customers time and money in new ways, Walmart expects to spend an estimated $83 million this year in Pennsylvania through the remodeling of 15 stores, as well as the launch and continued expansion of several customer-focused innovations.

“Pennsylvania Walmart stores continue to evolve to best meet the preferences of our valued customers and the more than 53,000 associates who serve as the heart of our efforts to exceed customer expectations,” said Ann-Louise Almeida, Walmart Regional Manager for Pennsylvania. “The exciting recent innovations we’ve seen in Pennsylvania include online grocery pickup and grocery delivery at more than 50 stores statewide, providing a number of easy ways for customers to shop for essential items online, while never having to leave their vehicles. Additionally, more than 30 Pickup Towers across Pennsylvania�and customer-friendly services such “Check Out with Me” have made it easier than ever for shoppers to save not only money, but valuable time as well.

“Combined with skills-based training support for associates, including the use of virtual reality to simulate real-world scenarios, Walmart is redefining the retail experience for all Pennsylvania customers and creating a one-of-a-kind shopping experience that helps our customers live better by providing unmatched value and industry-leading convenience.”

2019 Walmart Remodels in Pennsylvania

Walmart plans to remodel stores in the following locations:

Remodels

• 2600 Plank Road Commons, Altoona
• 567 Route 100 N., Bechtelsville
• 50 Foster Brook Blvd., Bradford
• 100 Supercenter Dr., Clearfield
• 300 Walmart Dr., Ebensburg
• 1825 Downs Dr., Erie
• 1800 Tilden Ridge, Hamburg
• 495 Eisenhower Dr., Hanover
• 5741 Buffalo Rd., Harborcreek
• 6535 Grayson Rd., Harrisburg
• 167 Hogan Blvd., Mill Hall
• 1675 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia
• 9745 Roosevelt Blvd., Suite A, Philadelphia
• 195 N. West End Blvd., Quakertown
• 1102 Million Dollar Highway, Saint Mary’s

2019 Walmart Innovations in Pennsylvania

Walmart will continue to innovate to help customers save time and money by creating a seamless shopping experience that gives them the options to shop when, where and how they want. The following are examples of the customer-focused innovations that will be expanded this year in Pennsylvania.

(1) Grocery Pickup

• Busy customers love Walmart’s grocery pickup option. It gives them the convenience of shopping online and the ease of quickly picking up groceries without having to leave their cars. The best part: it’s all at no additional cost. Walmart plans to expand the popular program to more than 43 stores across the state by the end of the year. The company also recently introduced Walmart Voice Order, which allows customers to simply say “Hey Google, talk to Walmart” and the Google Assistant will add items directly to their Walmart Grocery cart.

(2) Grocery Delivery

• Walmart’s convenient grocery delivery service is also proving to be a hit with customers. This year, Walmart plans to add the service to 34 stores, increasing its coverage area in the state.

(3) Walmart Pickup Towers

• Walmart Pickup Towers are 16-feet tall, high-tech vending machines capable of fulfilling a customer’s online order in less than a minute once they arrive at the store. It’s easy to do -- once the order is ready, step up to the Pickup Tower and scan the barcode sent to your smartphone to retrieve your item. This year, Walmart plans to add 23 Pickup Towers to stores across the state.

(4) FAST Unloader

• Today, product is unloaded as it arrives at the store through a complex, highly manual process that has seen little innovation over the last 50 years – until now. A new system in Walmart backrooms - known as FAST - automatically scans and sorts items that come off trucks based on priority and department, allowing associates to spend less time unloading in the backroom and more time on the sales floor with customers. This year, Walmart plans to expand the technology to 45 stores across the state.

(5) Autonomous Floor Scrubber

• The autonomous floor scrubber uses assisted autonomy technology to perform the task of cleaning and scrubbing the concrete floors in stores. The company plans to expand the technology to 41 stores across the state this year.

Background and Context

• Capital and Innovation Expenditure: The estimated spend in the state this fiscal year (Feb. 1, 2019 – Jan. 31, 2020) is a portion of Walmart’s total capital expenditure guidance of approximately $11.0 billion for Fiscal Year 2020, which was outlined last October at the company’s annual meeting for the investment community and reiterated in February 2019.
• National Innovation Expansion Strategy: Nationwide this fiscal year Walmart plans to add an additional 1,200 autonomous floor scrubbers, 300 autonomous shelf-scanners, 1,200 FAST unloaders and 900 Pickup Towers to stores across the country. Also, the company plans to expand Online Grocery Pickup to an additional 1,000 stores and add another 800 stores across the country to the retailer’s Grocery Delivery footprint.

About Walmart in Pennsylvania

Walmart 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. In Pennsylvania we serve customers at 161 retail units and online through Walmart Online Grocery, http://Walmart.com and our family of brands. We are proud to employ more than 53,900 associates in Pennsylvania. Walmart supports local businesses, spending $11.2 billion with Pennsylvania suppliers in FYE 2018 and supporting more than 131,500 Pennsylvania supplier jobs. Walmart continues to be a leader in employment opportunity, sustainability, and corporate philanthropy. In FY 18, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation contributed more than $32.7 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofits in Pennsylvania and our Pennsylvania associates volunteered more than 46,890 hours with local causes. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting our corporate website and our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter channels.

(*Editor’s Note: The photos above, and video, are available for download here.)

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Michael T. Rodriguez

Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy

717-303-5556

Source: Walmart Inc.

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