Rockford-Area Walmart Supercenters Get New Store Innovations

Days after unveiling plans to spend $87.5 million in Illinois stores this year, Walmart is celebrating the grand re-opening of two remodeled Rockford-area Supercenters and additional store innovations. Store remodels at the Rockford Supercenter on Riverside Blvd. and the Dixon Supercenter are complete, while Walmart’s popular Pickup Tower is currently available at the Dixon store and will be coming to the Rochelle Supercenter later this month.

“These innovations and improvements to the Rockford-area Walmart stores will help serve our community with a fast, convenient shopping experience,” said Eric Bakken, Store Manager of the Rockford Supercenter on Riverside Blvd. “The renovations offer a fresh new look with features that make shopping easy for our customers’ busy lives.”

The improvements are part of Walmart’s plan to spend an estimated $87.5 million this year in Illinois through the remodeling of 16 stores and continued expansion of innovations, like Pickup Towers, that save customers time and money.

Remodels

Rockford-area customers will enjoy the following store improvements as part of the store remodels:

• State-of-the-art electronics department with interactive displays that allow customers to test out electronics in person before purchasing
• Updated pharmacy with private consultation rooms for customer convenience
• Modernized grocery layout, including new deli counter, hot case and all new produce tables
• Installation of a new family restroom providing further convenience to customers with children
• New signage, lighting and flooring throughout the entire store for better line of sight and easier navigation
• Fresh painting on the inside and outside of the store
• New shelving and lower fixtures for improved store flow
• Increased number of products in home, pets, sporting good and hardware
• Expanded Money Center that includes an extra register and more than double the floor space for customers speed at checkout

Pickup Towers

Walmart Pickup Towers are 16-foot, high-tech vending machines capable of fulfilling an online order in less than a minute once the customer arrives at the store. It’s easy to do: once the order is ready, step up to the Pickup Tower and scan the barcode sent to your smartphone to retrieve your item. This year, Walmart plans to add 22 Pickup Towers to stores across Illinois, including the stores in Dixon and Rochelle.

In addition to Pickup Towers and store remodels, Walmart will The following are examples of the customer-focused innovations that will be expanded this year in Illinois.

• Grocery Pickup - Busy customers love Walmart’s grocery pickup option. It gives them the convenience of shopping online and the ease of quickly picking up groceries without having to leave their cars. The best part: it’s all at no additional cost. Walmart plans to expand the popular program to 40 stores across Illinois by the end of the year. The Dixon Supercenter and all Rockford Walmart stores offer Grocery Pickup.

• Grocery Delivery - Walmart’s convenient grocery delivery service is also proving to be a hit with customers. This year, Walmart plans to add the service to 37 Illinois stores, increasing its coverage area in the state.

• FAST Unloader - Today, product is unloaded as it arrives at the store through a complex, highly manual process that has seen little innovation over the last 50 years – until now. A new system in Walmart backrooms – known as FAST –automatically scans and sorts items that come off trucks based on priority and department, allowing associates to spend less time unloading in the backroom and more time on the sales floor with customers. This year, Walmart plans to expand the technology to 50 stores in Illinois.
• Autonomous Floor Scrubber - The autonomous floor scrubber uses assisted autonomy technology to perform the task of cleaning and scrubbing the concrete floors in stores. The company plans to expand the technology to 52 stores across Illinois this year.