Take a Look at Wal-Mart’s New C-Store

THORNTON, Colo. -- Demonstrating that it has not totally abandoned small formats, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. opened its latest concept store in Thornton, Colo., on Dec. 1, called Wal-Mart Pickup With Fuel.

As reported in a McLane/CSP Daily News Flash, the 4,000-square-foot location is a convenience store, gas station and pickup site for online grocery orders.

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The format “is a hybrid approach where customers can pick up their online grocery orders, fuel their vehicle and grab a coffee, soft drink, hot and healthy snacks or other convenience items—all in one spot and all at Wal-Mart’s everyday low prices,” the company said in an announcement. It also offers basics such as milk, eggs and bread.

The store is open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wal-Mart Online Grocery Pickup is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Customers can place their online grocery order by 1 p.m. and pick up their order between 5 and 8 p.m. the same day. Online grocery orders are fulfilled from local Wal-Mart Supercenters so orders are fresh and hand selected by Wal-Mart personal shoppers. Online grocery pickup is a free service to Wal-Mart customers with no subscription fee.

“Time is a currency as valuable as cash, especially during the busy holiday season,” said Gina Kretoski, Wal-Mart e-commerce market coach. “Wal-Mart’s newest location in Thornton offers customers a convenient way to pick up their online grocery order, fuel their vehicle and grab a snack. Customers save money and time in one convenient location.”

“The concept was born because at Wal-Mart, we are constantly looking for ways to add convenience. Customers are changing the way they shop, and we want to make sure we are changing too,” said Kretoski, who was in Thornton to talk with customers, reported The Denver Business Journal.

“It is popular,” Kretoski said. “The pickup business is growing.”

It is the second location, said the report. The company opened its first grocery pickup and fuel station in April in Huntsville, Ala.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart has experimented with smaller formats including Wal-Mart to Go ...                                                                   

Wal-Mart on Campus …

Walmart Express …

Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets ...

The retailer has largely reined in those experiments in favor of a focus on e-commerce. The company pulled the plug on Walmart Express and sold most of the stores and converted others to the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market format.