Taking a shot at upgrading its in-store experience with a focus on making shopping more enjoyable and engaging for customers is Walmart.
That’s right, it seems like the retail giant has plans to undergo huge changes.
Even though Walmart has long been seen as an accessible place to snag a reliable discount in an often-disheveled environment, the goal is to change that moving forward.
This is all happening due to a $9 billion store overhaul renovation project, where 1,400 stores are to be renovated, which will aim for a more pleasant and interactive shopping experience.
Some of those changes coming to your local Walmart store include updated interiors and exteriors; new paint, signs, and shopping carts; more spacious and navigable aisles; new checkout design; bigger, more centrally located pharmacies; refreshed vision centers with more designer eyewear; interactive corner displays featuring home designs, beddings, and furniture; Grab & Go section with fresh meals and drinks, and more.
Much like Costco, Walmart offers a variety of food options in stores for those who like to dine and shop.
With different fast-food options in-store from restaurants such as McDonalds, Subway, Charley’s Philly Steaks, Domino’s, Taco Bell and Wendy’s, more offers are on the way. Beginning this year, the retail chain started putting Uncle Sharkii Poke Bowl shops in multiple West Coast locations.
But now, 92 of its stores will receive brand new Mr. Gatti’s Pizza shops around southern Walmart locations. The pizza shops will be mostly placed in states such as Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
The stores are expected to begin installation of the shops soon and plan to have Mr. Gatti’s corporate-owned pizza shops open and operational by the fourth quarter of 2024. The partnership allows Mr. Gatti’s a large expansion option, where the shops have doubled its presence across the U.S. to more than 230 locations nationally.
“We’ve been vocal for years now about our ambitious growth goals, and this partnership with Walmart enables us to accelerate our expansion into new areas while continuing to strengthen our presence in familiar communities,” Mr. Gatti’s CEO Jim Phillips said of the new deal, per The Street.
Each location will be a mini version of the traditional pizza shop model, differing in size from 800 to 1,500 square feet.