Posted on 03/13/2009 11:51:11 AM PDT by angelcindy
Wal mart plans to open its first Hispanic-focused supermarkets this summer in Arizona and Texas as the largest US retailer continues its drive to expand its dominance of the US grocery business.
The pilot stores, named Supermercado de Walmart, will open in Phoenix and Houston in remodelled 39,000 sq ft locations occupied previously by two of Wal-Mart’s Neighborhood Market stores.
The retailer said that the stores were in “strongly Hispanic neighbourhoods” and would feature a “new lay-out, signing and product assortment designed to make them even more relevant to local Hispanic customers”. The staff will also be bilingual.
Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club warehouse store also plans to open a 143,000 sq ft Hispanic-focused store called Más Club in Houston this year.
Several leading regional US supermarket chains already operate Hispanic store brands, including Publix in Florida, which operates three Publix Sabor markets, and HEB in Texas, which opened a Mi Tienda store in Houston in 2006.
The markets include elements such as cafés serving Latino pastries and coffee, and full service meat and fish counters.
Leading retailers are also pursuing Hispanic consumers online, with Best Buy and Home Depot having launched Spanish-language versions of their e-commerce sites in recent months.
Eduardo Castro-Wright, the head of Wal-Mart’s US stores since 2005, has also been an advocate of testing new smaller, more focused formats, and raised the idea of turning the Neighbourhood Market into a Hispanic-style bodega concept several years ago.
He has also developed Wal-Mart’s efforts to customise its larger Supercenter stores, which have been grouped according to differing community profiles, such as urban, suburban, Hispanic and African-American, with customised merchandise.
A 195,000 sq ft Supercenter that opened in Texas last year included a tortilleria bakery, Hispanic foods and a larger selection of Spanish-language music and DVDs.
Mr Castro-Wright was previously head of Wal-Mart’s Mexican subsidiary, whose store network ranges from large US-style Supercenters to small local bodegas, an upmarket supermarket chain and two restaurant chains.
Last year, Wal-Mart also began testing four new 10,000 sq ft Marketside convenience grocery stores in the Phoenix area – its first new format in a decade. Tesco, the UK retailer, also has more than 25 of its small Fresh & Easy markets in the Phoenix area.
This is new?
Then We get surprised that they do this when we just bought a sweater for 1 dollar.
Wal-Mart is a business. This is smart business.
It is not their job to be political.
In America Hispanics spend dollars and their dollars are just as good as the dollars that you or I spend.
The Hispanic market has been looking to Wal-Mart for some time.
kinda tears ya that way doesn’t it?
want the illegals out, but capitalism is capitalism, and this is a great example of it.
Yum. I wish Wal-Mart would open one close to me. The hispanic food selection at my grocery store(s) sucks.
Pardon me but i think they send their money back to mexico
Are there any Americans left that don't believe they're being completely sold out?
So much for assimilation.
No it’s against the law .A person (including a group of persons, business, organization or local government) commits a federal felony when he:
assists an alien whom he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him to obtain employment,
encourages that alien to remain in the U.S., by referring him to an employer, by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.
Sam Walton is rolling over in his grave!!
In my neighborhood, the Food Lion has the best selection of Latin foods, for some reason. Always the right peppers for my recipes. But the Super Wal-mart has tortillas in really big packages!
oops ;)
I hate to sound grumpy, but damn. I have a 24” monitor and you pic doesn’t even fit it.
Please learn the rules and how to post pic’s properly on FR, or give it up. You’re hurting my eyes. ;>)
I guess it would take Walmart opening a discount abortion clinic before some people would have a problem with them.
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