Walmart Continues Expanded Footprint In California

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Another California Walmart store has undergone a significant remodel. More are planned in the state and beyond — and the projects are welcome news to cities looking for revenue.

The Walmart Supercenter, located at 479 N. McKinley Street in Corona, celebrated its grand reopening Friday morning with a ribbon-cutting. Updated exteriors and interiors, a new checkout design, an expanded pharmacy, an updated vision center, displays that let customers interact with items, added space, and digital touchpoints throughout the store to glean more information about products, are just a few of the store enhancements.

The grand reopening follows another that took place just a few miles away. The newly remodeled Walmart Supercenter at 32225 Temecula Parkway in Temecula was unveiled on October 27 with much fanfare, including appearances by local U.S. congressmembers and state assemblymembers, as well as Temecula government officials.

Walmart is investing big in remodels and new store openings. Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner said in January that over the next 12 months, the company plans to remodel 650 stores across 47 states, including California.

On Nov. 3, Walmart celebrated its “Second Best Day” for 117 stores nationwide, the largest single-day rollout of grand reopenings in company history.

"We’ve invested over $9 billion in the past two years to upgrade more than 1,400 stores across the country," Furner said at the time. Walmart is also planning to build or convert more than 150 stores over the next five years, Furner added.

Recent projects across 30 states represented more than $500 million in capital investments in local communities, according to Furner.

Once the stores are reopened, ringing cash registers add to the local revenue. According to city documents, the Temecula Supercenter consistently ranks among the city's top sales tax producers.

Tens of thousands of jobs are supporting these renovation and development projects, as are the stores themselves.

"We directly employ approximately 1.6 million people in this country and support many more jobs beyond that," according to Furner. Related article: Lake Elsinore's New Walmart Supercenter: More Job Opportunities

According to the company, Walmart's U.S. average hourly wage will soon exceed $18. On Jan. 18, the multinational retailer announced the average annual salary of store managers had increased to $128,000.

Not everyone thinks Walmart is good for local communities. Critics contend the company hurts small businesses that can't compete with the low-price retail model. The company is also accused of hurting the U.S. economy because it relies on foreign-made products. Walmart is the U.S.'s largest importer in many categories, critics say, but consumers seem unwilling — or are financially unable — to flinch. Walmart's total revenue for fiscal year 2023 was $611.3 billion, up 6.7% over the previous year, according to the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.