Walmart has recently opened two new stores in Chicago; these stores will put the company well on its way in creating 10,000 jobs in the city by 2015.
Chicago’s Walmart Express stores will be less than 30,000 sq. ft and will focus on a broad assortment of brands at everyday low prices; selling grocery, pharmacy and limited general merchandise. Walmart Market, earlier known as Neighborhood Market, will range in size from 30,000 to 60,000 sq. ft. and provide a wider assortment of fresh grocery and bakery products. The Walmart Supercenter will continue to serve as a one-stop destination, offering grocery as well as general merchandise.
In June 2010, Walmart announced the ‘Chicago Community Investment Partnership’, a five-year plan to open several dozen stores, creating about 10,000 jobs and 2,000 unionised construction jobs, leading to the generation of more than $500 million of sales and property taxes, and further developing charitable partnerships worth $20 million.
“We welcome Walmart’s continued investment in Chicago,” said Jerry Roper, president and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. “Walmart’s proposed expansion plan will illustrate that Chicago has charted a course towards economic recovery,” he further added.
– IndiaRetailing Bureau
