Walmart stores are getting a $9 billion makeover. Here's what shoppers can expect.
Attention shoppers: The nation's biggest retailer is hoping a multibillion dollar upgrade to its stores will bring more consumers in, and for longer periods.
Walmart is relaunching 117 stores in 30 states this Friday after spending more than half a billion dollars on improved layouts and new technology for those locations, marking the largest single-day rollout of re-grand openings since Walmart opened in 1962.
The new look unveiled on Monday is part of a two-year, $9 billion project to modernize more than 1,400 of the 4,717 Walmart stores across the country.
"These construction investments allow us to create more local jobs and make it easier for our associates to get customers what they want, when they want it," John Furner, CEO of Walmart U.S., said in a news release.
The remodels include new paint and flooring, modernized restrooms and LED lighting and new signage to make it easier to navigate while shopping.
Dollar shops inside stores
And, furthering its branding as the nation's largest discount chain, Walmart is adding new "dollar shops" inside the revamped stores, featuring seasonal products.
Upgraded stores will also have larger pharmacy areas with private screening rooms, the company said.
Shoppers will also have more check-out options, including staffed and self-checkout lanes, as well as additional grab-and-go food and drink options.