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2:46 p.m. August 6, 2014
Walmart at University Commons opens its doors

university commons
Walmart at University Commons on the UT campus opened its doors today following a ribbon cutting ceremony. Image by Jeaneane Payne.

KNOXVILLE – A new Walmart opened in Knoxville today following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:15 a.m. The new store is the first tenant of the University Commons development to open its doors to the public. It ofers local residents, employees and students with convenient access to a broad assortment of affordable merchandise.

“Knoxville is pleased to welcome Walmart as it opens its doors in the University Commons development,” said Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero. “Not only does the store bring new jobs to the community, we anticipate it will have a significant long-term economic impact by providing much-needed access to convenient, affordable shopping for local residents, employees and students.” Conveniently located adjacent to the University of Tennessee campus at 2501 University Commons Way, the new store opened just in time for back-to-school shopping season and will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will also offer Walmart's free Site to Store program, enabling customers to choose from nearly a million additional online items that can be ordered on Walmart.com and picked up at the Knoxville store for free, often as quickly as the same day.

The new store employs approximately 200 full- and part-time associates. Store manager Janet Bales began her Walmart career in 2002 as an hourly summer intern and then management trainee.

“As a University of Tennessee graduate, I am excited to bring a convenient shopping option to the students and faculty of UT and area residents,” said Bales. “We are excited to meet all of our new customers and welcome students back to campus.”

The 120,000 square-foot store features a pedestrian-friendly, two-story design that is in keeping with the aesthetics of University Commons, Knoxville’s first urban, vertical retail center. And to ensure the store adequately meets the needs of the University community, the store incorporated feedback from a group of University of Tennessee retail and consumer science students when determining the type and amount of merchandise to include.

The store offers quality, value-priced general merchandise, including electronics and back-to-school supplies. In addition, customers can shop a broader assortment of items online at Walmart.com and then pay for these purchases with cash in all of Walmart U.S. stores and Walmart Neighborhood Markets, including the new Knoxville store.

The store’s pharmacy offers a full range of products and services. Pharmacy team members can answer product and prescription questions and customers can ask about health and wellness solutions. Knoxville residents can easily transfer prescriptions and order refills on the go with the Walmart mobile app for iPhone and Android.

The grand-opening festivities included presentations of $8,000 in grants from Walmart to local community groups during a special preview event on Monday, Aug. 4.

In addition to the grants given as part of the grand opening, the new store will further Walmart’s pledge to be a good steward of the environment. Through Walmart’s commitment to sustainability, the company is striving to achieve its goals of being 100 percent supplied by renewable energy, creating zero waste, and selling products that sustain people and the environment. As part of that effort, all new Walmart stores include features designed to save energy and resources and reduce waste, including the store in Knoxville. Among those features are high- efficiency bathroom fixtures that save up to 530,000 gallons of water per year at each store, LED lighting that operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting, and the incorporation of recycled materials in the concrete flooring to reduce the need for chemical cleaners and help offset greenhouse gases emitted in the cement mixing process.

Walmart will celebrate with residents on Saturday, Aug. 30. A Big Family Welcome will give customers a chance to meet Bales and enjoy fun family activities. Join the celebration from noon to 3 p.m.

walmart university commons

walmart

Published August 6, 2014





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