Grand opening is Wednesday

Gentry Walmart Express Store opened its doors for business at 8 a.m. Friday

Customers were coming and going Friday morning and the parking lot was full at the new Walmart Express store in Gentry. The new store opened at 8 a.m. in Gentry. Once people realized the store was open, it soon became busy. While the store held its soft opening Friday, its grand opening and ribbon cutting will be at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 8. The Prairie Grove store opened an hour earlier than the Gentry store, in part because of gasoline sales there.
Customers were coming and going Friday morning and the parking lot was full at the new Walmart Express store in Gentry. The new store opened at 8 a.m. in Gentry. Once people realized the store was open, it soon became busy. While the store held its soft opening Friday, its grand opening and ribbon cutting will be at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 8. The Prairie Grove store opened an hour earlier than the Gentry store, in part because of gasoline sales there.

— The new Walmart Express store in Gentry is set to have its grand opening on Wednesday, June 8. The new stores in Gentry and Prairie Grove opened for business on Friday, with the Gentry store opening at 8 a.m. and the Prairie Grove store at 7. The Gravette store is currently under construction.

The new express stores will bring local communities low prices every day in a smaller format store, according to a Walmart press release. The new stores are designed to make shopping quick and easy for customers in Washington and Benton Counties who want to save money and find what they need close to home.

The new Walmart Express stores are located at 905 S. Gentry Blvd. (Highway 59) in Gentry and 881 W. Buchanan St. (Highway 62) in Prairie Grove.

“We created Walmart Express to give us flexibility in serving customers, especially in rural and urban areas,” said Gentry store manager Rachel Smith. “We want to give our customers convenient access to Walmart right in their own neighborhoods, with low prices every day, on everything."

Store designed for convenience

For rural customers in Gentry and the surrounding area, the store will offer convenience and easy access for fill-in shopping trips, the release states.

The 15,000-square-foot Walmart Express stores feature a pharmacy and offer groceries and general merchandise, including an assortment of fresh products, dairy and meat, dry goods, consumables, health and beauty aids, over-the-counter medicines and more. The Prairie Grove store includes gasoline pumps. The Gentry store does not.

Community grants

As part of Walmart’s commitment to the local community, grants from the Walmart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebrations. In Gentry, the following organizations will receive donations: Gentry Senior Activity Center, $10,000; United Way of Gentry, $5,000; and the Gentry Public Library, $500.

Ribbon Cutting

Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 8 a.m., Wednesday, June 8, for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at each store. Gentry High School junior Kaylin Cripps will perform the national anthem, and members of Civil Air Patrol 115th Rogers Composite Squadron will present the colors. Store manager Rachel Smith and other associates will cut the ribbon to the new store.

About Walmart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.(NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 9,000 retail units under 60 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2011 sales of $419 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com.

News, Pages 1 on 06/08/2011