Walmart remodel complete for holiday shopping season

Published 3:05 am Tuesday, November 24, 2015

A major remodeling of the Hermiston Walmart Supercenter was completed just in time for Black Friday and the holiday rush.

The store hosted grand reopening events Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 after the 12-week project intended to make the shopping experience “fast, clean and friendly,” store manager Erik Smith said.

“We’re doing the right thing for the customers, trying to give them what they deserve,” he said. “We don’t just want to be the low-cost leader. We want people to come in here and say, ‘Hey, this is a clean place. I want to bring my family in here and the kids,’ and all that good stuff. So we did spend a lot of extra money on these upgrades.”

Although Smith said he could not disclose the total cost of the remodel, he said the new flooring installed on the entire 185,000-square-foot sales area alone would cost $300,000 to $400,000. That doesn’t include the expanded customer service area, the exterior paint job or the new shelving, fixtures and displays throughout the store.

“They did quite an overhaul,” he said. “They replaced all the fixtures in the departments. They went as far as replacing all the freezers in the back. Everything is just brand new, which is great, so now it’s up to us to, obviously, keep it the way it is.”

As people walk into the store on the grocery side, new LED lighting illuminates a redesigned produce and bakery area with new displays and cases. Smith said the deli and bakery expanded their product offerings to include smoked meats and new doughnuts. Another major renovation was the electronics department, he said, which is about 95 percent new.

“In this day and age, people want to eat, and they want their electronics, because you’ve got to be doing something while you’re eating, right?” he said. “These were the two big investments that I would say that Walmart put into all stores really. It’s pretty cool.”

Other changes include new jewelry and cosmetics departments and an expanded pet department, as well as some larger aisles. Smith said the recycling center was also updated.

He said he is excited about the remodel, and he encouraged people to see it for themselves.

“I’ve gotten to talk to a lot of customers, and they’ve been pretty excited about the changes that they’re seeing,” he said. “I think it’s more eye appealing. It’s very clean. It’s really streamlined.”

Hours: 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily

Location: 1350 N. First St., Hermiston

History: • The Walmart discount store opened in Hermiston on June 30, 1992, with 73,000 square feet of floor space.

• The Walmart distribution center in Hermiston opened in April 1998, employing almost 800 people.

• On April 11, 2001, the Hermiston Walmart store was expanded to 210,000 square feet and about 320 employees to be the first Supercenter with groceries in Washington or Oregon.

• The store hosted a grand reopening June 17, 2009, after a remodel to make the shopping experience easier for customers.

• Construction began on a new remodeling project designed to make the experience ‘fast, clean and friendly’ the first week of September 2015 and was completed for a grand reopening Nov. 20.

• Store manager Erik Smith said the store now employs about 380 people, and the distribution center employs about 900.