[Vision2020] Moscow Walmart Supercenter to Open on Wednesday

[deb]

Yeah. Who's doing the math? Oh, yeah, sorry. Forgot that "school larnin' aain't that impertant nohow".....
Debi R-S
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Hansen 
  To: Moscow Vision 2020 
  Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 4:38 PM
  Subject: [Vision2020] Moscow Walmart Supercenter to Open on Wednesday


  Let me see if I have this straight . . .


  A Walmart supercenter in Pullman, a Walmart supercenter in Moscow, and a planned Hawkins Companies super mall on the state line . . . in a community of a combined population of about 50,000?


  Courtesy of today's (January 21, 2012) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.


  ------------------------------
  Moscow Walmart to reopen Wednesday
  By Amelia Veneziano, Daily News staff writer 

  Walmart's new Moscow supercenter is on its way to open.

  The 122,000-square-foot store - 30,000 square feet bigger than the old store, which closed in late 2010 - will open at 8 a.m. Wednesday, said store manager Helena Probasco.

  About 185 people have been hired for the store, with another 15 or so expected, Probasco said. About 50 of those positions were transfers from other stores, while the rest are new positions created for the store.

  "It's always nice to have those jobs available," said BJ Swanson, executive director of the Latah Economic Development Council. "The salaries there really aren't too bad. ... Jobs are always welcome."

  The return of those positions bodes well for Latah County, said Kathryn Tacke, Idaho regional economist. The positions have been missed in the retail sector, which will likely see a boost in the coming months.

  Moscow's Walmart closed when the company opened its Pullman store. But customer demand and requests made Walmart take another look at its old location, said Deborah Herron, Walmart's senior public affairs manager for Idaho.

  "We're always focused on customer needs," Herron said. "We learned from customers that there's still a great need for a store in Moscow, so we revisited plans and here we are. We're excited to be opening."

  The two university towns both have needs for the stores, Herron said.

  "Two stores makes sense, and we're delighted to support both collegiate institutions and their students," she said.

  Customers will notice an expanded produce section in the new store, Probasco said. Previously, the Moscow Walmart did not have any produce and only carried limited groceries.

  Much of the expansion in the $5 million project came in the grocery department, she said.

  "But everything is expanded," she said. "There's more merchandise throughout the store, including the general goods the store had before."

  The store has also been modernized with energy-efficient features, such as LED lights and low-flow toilets.

  Keeping the old building busy has meaning for the community, Swanson said.

  "For Walmart to come back and rejuvenate an old store, a dark big-box that's not something lively and get it going again is just wonderful," she said. "Moscow has a lot to offer, and for Walmart to want to come back and relocate here says wonders."

  The average hourly pay for Walmart's full-time hourly employees in Idaho is $11.90, while salaries are not released for salaried associates, Herron said.

  At the end of the third fiscal quarter of 2011, in October, there were 6,955 Walmart employees in Idaho, according to walmartstores.com.

  Probasco said the community has been receptive to the store's reopening.

  "I've only heard positive things," she said. "People are very excited that we're coming back."

  ------------------------------


  One question:  When is the ground-breaking ceremony for the Hawkins Companies super mall?



  Seeya later, Moscow.


  Tom Hansen
  Post Falls, Idaho


  "If not us, who?
  If not now, when?"


  - Unknown






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