Wal-Mart has opened a new supercenter, unlike any it currently operates, targeting upscale shoppers and catering specifically to female shoppers needs.
Everything about the new 203,000-square-foot supercenter, located in Plano, TX, is different— store layout, to merchandise selection to new signage and graphics to a selection of wines that can cost up to $500 per bottle. The store opened March 22.
“With the opening of this store, Wal-Mart is adopting an active approach to understanding and meeting customer needs, particularly those of the selective female shopper,” said John Fleming, executive VP and CMO, in a statement.
The supercenter, which resides in a highly competitive retail corridor 20 miles north of Dallas, is a test for Wal-Mart to see if the new store features and strategies catch on with the upscale consumer.
“This store will function as an active laboratory for testing a range of new ideas and merchandise in a fully operational setting,” Fleming said. “If something doesn’t work, we will change it and try something else. And when an innovation resonates with our customers, we will consider introducing it in other stores.”
Some of the new features include:
- Store layouts that make sense for females. For example, consumables, pet food and health and beauty aids are adjacent to grocery.
- New signage and graphics that individualize the store’s eight main shopping areas—, apparel, health, beauty, food, do-it-yourself, electronics and baby.
- Changes in the apparel area including its own cash registers, more privacy and space in dressing rooms and more space around clothing racks. And instead of purchased clothing being folded and placed in a bag, consumers will carry their purchases out on hangers.
- A quieter shopping environment, with no in-store radio, fewer PA announcements and quieter cash registers. Wal-Mart TV will be found only in certain areas.
- Greatly expanded grocery selection and more than 2,000 premium items in wine, dry grocery, meat, cheese and product that are new to Wal-Mart supercenters. The 1,200 different selections of wine include more than 700 premium items. The selection of gourmet cheeses has been expanded.
- If the shopper gets hungry, there are made-to-order sandwiches, hot panini sandwiches and pizza. A sushi bar and Wi-Fi enabled coffee shop are also available.
- About 500 items have been added to expand the organic and natural product offerings.
- A streamlined checkout area.
- Customers who order products online can have them shipped, with no charge, at the store.
“For something to work in Plano, it has to be good,” said Wal-Mart Regional General Manager John Murphy, in a statement. “Customers here are discerning, and I can’t think of a better marketplace in which to test our most innovative thinking.”
The city of Plano has an estimated population of 236,929 as of Jan. 1, 2003. The median age is 34.1 years and 68.2% of the population is 21 years or older. Of the total households, 74.9% are families and 42.01% have children under 18. The percentage of household incomes over $100,000 increased from 27.8% in 1990 to 36.8% in 2000. The median household income for Plano also increased from $72,233 in 1990 to $78,222 in 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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