New Dallas-area Wal-Mart Supercenter Features Tortilla Machine and More for Hispanic Shoppers

The new Wal-Mart Supercenter opening today in Garland, Texas will cater to the 50 percent-plus Hispanic population in the area, and will feature many of Wal-Mart's latest energy-efficient tools. It's the first "Hispanic community" store in the Dallas Ft.-Worth market, but certainly not the first in the company, store manager Daryl Scoggins told Progressive Grocer yesterday.

The store, located at 1801 Marketplace Dr., is part of a neighborhood revitalization effort that brings new energy to a formerly declining area. It serves as a replacement store to Wal-Mart's original Hypermart USA, the precursor to its food and general merchandise Supercenter concept. (The Hypermart opened in 1987 and was later converted to the Supercenter banner.)

The new Garland Supercenter will be the first Wal-Mart to have a tortilla machine, Scoggins said. Other features added to reflect Hispanic shoppers' preferences include an expanded produce department; ethnic brands such as Jarritos, Goya, and Foca detergent; a La Micha juice bar; a 21-foot section featuring thin-cut meats and other special cuts; Spanish greeting cards; and an expanded selection of Latino music in the electronics department.

"We've added things to cater to our Hispanic clientele without taking anything away," noted Scoggins. "Wal-Mart wants the 'store of the community' to take care of everyone in the community."

That includes female shoppers, he said. "We've set the store up based on female shoppers' patterns. For instance, when she buys her bread, she likes to have luncheon meat directly across from it. So here we have luncheon meats and hot dogs across from the bread. You can pick up everything on one aisle."

The Supercenter will have a Wal-Mart MoneyCenter to assist customers who are outside of mainstream banking, with convenient access to low-cost money services, including check cashing, money orders, bill payment, and money transfers. For added convenience, there will be a vision center, a pharmacy with two drive-through lanes, a digital photo processing center, and a Wal-Mart Connect Center for wireless phone sales. Leased areas and services include a SmartStyle Family Hair Care salon, DaVi Nails salon, a Subway restaurant, and a branch of First Convenience Bank.

The Garland store is the latest high-efficiency Wal-Mart Supercenter to open. The HE.2 store is designed to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use 25 percent less energy than a typical Wal-Mart Supercenter. HE.2 stores feature industry-leading advancements, such as integrated heating, cooling, and refrigeration systems, and lighting innovations to conserve energy.
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