Florida : Chain store Walmart To Spend $173M on Store expansion

In addition there will be an expansion of a number of new customer-orientated innovations. Elise Vasquez-Warner is the Vice President and Regional General Manager in Tampa Bay, Florida for Walmart. Elise has released press statements about the vision of the new leadership, and stated how geographically important the location is for the expansion of Walmart in this area and others across the United States.

Latest Technology

Walmart will keep and improve some features that customers already love and introduce others:

• Grocery Delivery Service: this has been a big hit with customers and there are plans to add this to a further 63 stores and increase coverage.
• Autonomous Shelf Scanners: using automation, this device can scan shelves and quickly pinpoint where stocks are low, if prices or wrong, and detect if labels are missing. The scanners use a real time store inventory which allows staff to focus attention on key areas of stock. This technology will be extended to a further 32 stores.
• Walmart Pickup Towers: these 16 foot tall high tech venders can complete a customer order in less than a minute. Customers simply scan the barcode sent to their smartphone and can then collect their items - this nifty device will be added to 36 stores across the state.
• FAST Unloader: this new system automatically sorts and scans items coming off trucks subject to priority and department. This means that staff can spend less time unloading and more time on the sales floor – this technology will expand to 88 more stores in the state.

Continued Growth

The latest expansion in Tampa Bay, Florida marks continual growth for the chain at a time when some retailers are struggling to survive. The brand has been around since the 1960s and to date has 11,361 stores and clubs spanning 27 countries operating under a number of names. The company is also the largest in the world based on revenue - which was $500 billion in 2018. By constantly providing a wide selection of goods at low prices and continually adapting the shopper experience to meet demand, the chain have managed to retain their status as one of the most popular stores in the world.