Prototype Neighborhood Market opens today

[sgrizzle]

Wal-Mart Enhances Neighborhood Market Design; New Store in Tulsa is First in U.S. to Share New Decor



 Maybelline New York and GARNIER Bring in Celebrity Talent to Give Tulsa
                         Customers Free Makeovers

   TULSA, Okla., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- It has a new look and
feel, new track lighting, a makeover in health & beauty and abundance of
freshly baked breads and fresh produce. Today, Jan. 17, Wal-Mart (NYSE:
WMT) opens its newly designed Neighborhood Market in Tulsa, Okla. -- the
first to open in the U.S. that will share a new design based on months of
customer research on Wal-Mart's Neighborhood Market concept. The company
will be testing customer reaction and success of its new design, starting
in Tulsa, as it focuses the brand for continued growth in the U.S. The new
store is located at 4720 E. 21st St., and opened its doors to the public at
8 a.m.
   With 112 stores already operating across the U.S., the Wal-Mart
Neighborhood Market is the company's youngest store concept (introduced
less than 10 years ago), providing consumers the Wal-Mart value in a
smaller, convenient "neighborhood" store format. The concept brings
grocery, pharmacy and health and beauty together in a convenient,
customer-friendly experience. The brand has continued to be popular with
shoppers since its introduction, and Wal-Mart plans to open 15 to 20 new
stores over the next year.
   "Over the last several months we have studied our customers, seeking to
understand their preferences about our store's convenience and products,"
says Pam Kohn, senior vice president of the Wal-Mart Stores Southeast
Division, and leader of Neighborhood Markets. "The new design package is a
great example of what we now know customers are seeking in this type of
store."
   Kohn explains that consumers today continue to reach for ways to
simplify their lives, but also desire a store experience that answers more
personal needs.
   "We feel this new design shows we are a destination for both," Kohn
said.
   Earth-tones, Soft "Themes," and a Health & Beauty Makeover
   The most dramatically noticeable changes are within the new grocery and
health and beauty areas. As Wal-Mart continues to bring consumers more
healthy choices in food, such as increased selections in organics and
produce, the grocery area in the Neighborhood Market now features a new
layout that highlights these efforts and accentuates freshness. The new
bakery has a fresh, "warm" feel next to the new stream-lined deli area and
fresh produce is placed along vertical fruit baskets. There are more
freezer doors that hold additional frozen food items than any other
Neighborhood Market store today.
   Throughout the store, architects and designers added earth-toned colors
with natural woods that define each store department that creates a "store
within a store" feel. Along with wood trim, photography highlights
selections and departments in the store among different decor and signage.
The overall look is clean and simple.
   "Our health and beauty department has probably undergone the most
dramatic change within the store," said Kohn. "We want our female customers
to feel this is a place in their store created especially for them."
   With concave (curved) fixtures, wider aisles and new "towers" that can
display the latest trends in health and beauty, the re-design creates a
more personal experience for the shopper, who may need time to study new
products and consider their purchase. Signage and product placement work
together to help customers better identify selections. The location has
changed to be closer to the pharmacy and stationery departments.
   Neighborhood Market Concept
   Neighborhood Market stores are not new to Tulsa. The first store opened
on Delaware Avenue in 2000 and there are currently five such stores in the
Tulsa area. The new store brings that total to six.
   This new 39,000-square-foot store features a full line of groceries
including bakery goods, organics, frozen foods, meat and dairy products and
fresh produce. Its redesigned deli offers rotisserie chicken and a wide
variety of freshly prepared foods including sandwiches, salads, desserts,
bottled drinks, milk, juices, waters and energy drinks. General merchandise
includes toiletries, household cleaning and paper goods, stationery, pet
products and hardware items.
   Customers can drop off film or digital media at the 30-minute photo lab
for processing while they shop. The store also features a drive-through
pharmacy with two drive-up lanes. It will be open to customers 24 hours a
day, seven days a week and will include six full-service and four self
check-out lanes.
   A Neighborhood Market store is typically 39,000 square feet and is a
combination grocery store and drug store. The first store opened in
Bentonville, Ark., in 1998, and the company celebrated the opening of the
100th store in Albuquerque in 2006.
   Celebrities Share "Makeover" with Customers
   In celebration of the new store design, GARNIER Fructis celebrity
hairstylist Brian Magallones and Maybelline New York consulting makeup
artist Chuck Hezekiah will be available for complimentary hair and makeup
makeovers to shoppers in the store on grand opening day. Magallones, a true
stylist-to- the-stars including celebrity clientele Joss Stone, Mischa
Barton, Nicole Richie, and Hezekiah, a mainstay on Oprah, Martha Stewart
and The Maury Povich Show, will provide customers with hair and makeup
touch ups including one-on- one health and beauty tips. The complimentary
consultation and makeover services will be available in two sessions on
grand opening day: 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. - 3 pm.
   In addition, music artist Mark Chesnutt, one of Billboard's Ten Most-
Played Radio Artists of the '90's and known for country music hits such as
"I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," will be on hand at 6 p.m. for a brief
concert at the store and will sign autographs from 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
   The store will provide various activities for kids and top brands such
as Kellogg's, Coke, Pepsi and General Mills will provide samples to grand
opening shoppers. The store will have additional activities for customers
in health screenings and beauty aids in the weeks to come.
   About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
   Every week, more than 127 million customers visit Wal-Mart Stores,
Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club locations across
America. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of
giving back locally. Wal-Mart is proud to support the causes that are
important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and
last year gave more than $245 million to local United States communities.
To learn more, visit http://www.walmartfacts.com , http://www.walmart.com ,
or http://www.walmartfoundation.org .

[deinstein]

Whole Foods? Who?

[Chicken Little]

Wait a minute...they're selling milk AND paper goods...all under one roof??? What will they think of next?  I'll have to check out this "grocery" store.

[Steve]

Don't get me started about this one.  I live just a few blocks down Yale at 26th Street, in Tulsa's definative 1950s modern neighborhood, Lortondale.  They DESTROYED a perfectly wonderful 1950s shopping center, Mayo Meadow, to build this ugly hulk.  It will probably thrive, because most folks around here don't give a heck except for the inpact on their pocketbook, but Wal Mart will not ever get a dime of my money.  I will continue to shop at the Reasors down at 19th & Yale.

[Chicken Little]

I was just kidding.  I thought the description of a "...full line of groceries" was a bit pedantic.  You can put lipstick (literally?) on it if you want, its still a Wal Mart. I do not like Wal Mart.

Not for sure, but I think Michael Bates is excited about it:

quote: The new supermarket in our neighborhood is scheduled to open on Wednesday. It will be wonderful to be able walk a couple of blocks, without going onto a major street, to pick up necessities.

[more]
http://www.batesline.com/archives/002995.html

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

I was just kidding.  I thought the description of a "...full line of groceries" was a bit pedantic.  You can put lipstick (literally?) on it if you want, its still a Wal Mart. I do not like Wal Mart.

Not for sure, but I think Michael Bates is excited about it:

quote: The new supermarket in our neighborhood is scheduled to open on Wednesday. It will be wonderful to be able walk a couple of blocks, without going onto a major street, to pick up necessities.

[more]
http://www.batesline.com/archives/002995.html

Well bully for Michael Bates, whoever the hell he is.  He can shop there all he wants, but this local resident will never darken Wall Mart's door.  (See my previous post above.)  The loss of the Mayo Meadow shopping center was a tragic loss for local residents and Tulsa's mid-twentieth century architectural past.

[Chicken Little]

I've heard that the offices were beautiful.  Did anybody get any pictures?

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

I've heard that the offices were beautiful.  Did anybody get any pictures?

What are you talking about?  Offices at the Wal Mart store?  However beautiful they may be, they can't make up for the loss of the Mayo Meadow Shopping Center, to the neighborhood, its local residents (myself included) and Tulsa's architectural past.  The exterior of the new Wall Mart store is generic, big box, stucco UGLY, plain and simple.

The only plus side is they cleared out the old abandoned Amaco gas station at the SW corner of 21st & Yale, that was ugly and a magnet for used cars and such, and crudely relandscaped the corner.  Looks better than before, but the ugly new Wal Mart is a high price to pay.

[Breadburner]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

I've heard that the offices were beautiful.  Did anybody get any pictures?

What are you talking about?  Offices at the Wal Mart store?  However beautiful they may be, they can't make up for the loss of the Mayo Meadow Shopping Center, to the neighborhood, its local residents (myself included) and Tulsa's architectural past.  The exterior of the new Wall Mart store is generic, big box, stucco UGLY, plain and simple.

The only plus side is they cleared out the old abandoned Amaco gas station at the SW corner of 21st & Yale, that was ugly and a magnet for used cars and such, and crudely relandscaped the corner.  Looks better than before, but the ugly new Wal Mart is a high price to pay.

Why did you not buy the old center and do as you wished with it.....

[deinstein]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

I've heard that the offices were beautiful.  Did anybody get any pictures?

What are you talking about?  Offices at the Wal Mart store?  However beautiful they may be, they can't make up for the loss of the Mayo Meadow Shopping Center, to the neighborhood, its local residents (myself included) and Tulsa's architectural past.  The exterior of the new Wall Mart store is generic, big box, stucco UGLY, plain and simple.

The only plus side is they cleared out the old abandoned Amaco gas station at the SW corner of 21st & Yale, that was ugly and a magnet for used cars and such, and crudely relandscaped the corner.  Looks better than before, but the ugly new Wal Mart is a high price to pay.

And Reasor's isn't a big ugly box store?

[sgrizzle]

I loathe walmart business practices and have never had a decent experience at reasors. Plus, the reasors on 71st and Sheridan is the #1 most externally overlit store in all of Tulsa.

I'm pretty much SOL.

While mayo meadow might've been classic, it was horribly maintained and run down. Only so long a strip mall will survive on rent money from "the better price store."

[Chicken Little]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

I've heard that the offices were beautiful.  Did anybody get any pictures?

What are you talking about?  Offices at the Wal Mart store?  However beautiful they may be, they can't make up for the loss of the Mayo Meadow Shopping Center, to the neighborhood, its local residents (myself included) and Tulsa's architectural past.  The exterior of the new Wall Mart store is generic, big box, stucco UGLY, plain and simple.

The only plus side is they cleared out the old abandoned Amaco gas station at the SW corner of 21st & Yale, that was ugly and a magnet for used cars and such, and crudely relandscaped the corner.  Looks better than before, but the ugly new Wal Mart is a high price to pay.

No no no...my bad.  The offices at Mayo Meadow.  I heard they were a mid-century dream.

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I loathe walmart business practices and have never had a decent experience at reasors. Plus, the reasors on 71st and Sheridan is the #1 most externally overlit store in all of Tulsa.

Moth-Effect Marketing.

...oh, sorry, it's for safety...

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by patric

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I loathe walmart business practices and have never had a decent experience at reasors. Plus, the reasors on 71st and Sheridan is the #1 most externally overlit store in all of Tulsa.

Moth-Effect Marketing.

...oh, sorry, it's for safety...

At least we know why so many horror movies include the line "don't go into the light!"

[Hometown]

Go Steve!
Mayo Meadows Shopping Center was first class architect designed Mid-Century Modern classic.  Wal Mart Market is engineer designed dime a dozen.  Delman Theatre was one of a kind Deco classic.  Walgreens that stands there now is engineer designed knock off.  Slowly but surely first class Tulsa is being replaced by strip mall second class Tulsa.  
Chicken Little, I never heard that about the offices at Mayo Meadows Shopping Center.  That's an interesting point.
Anyway, I have never been in a Wal Mart.