After months of silence on whether or not a store would be opening at Lincoln and Figueroa, Walmart representatives have officially said a store will open at the property at 2408 N. Lincoln Avenue in early 2013.
The store's plan is a Walmart Neighborhood Market, which will specialize in groceries, household items and will also house a pharmacy. More details about the store are available on the fact sheet and video posted on right.
The Walmart opening had been and county officials had reported being in Altadena. On Tuesday, a local construction site .
The vacant store on the lot still needs a lot of work, and Wal-Mart is aiming for a January of 2013 opening, according to Rachel Wall, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.
Wal-Mart's fact sheet claims the store will create 60-65 new jobs and states that the average Wal-Mart worker in California makes $12.79 an hour.
Walmart's Neighborhood Market model has not yet opened anywhere in Los Angeles County - the primary focus of those markets are groceries, rather than the standard stores which aim to sell everything consumers might want to purchase.
Currently, the closest Walmart Neighborhood Market is in Las Vegas, though there are several others planned for opening in Los Angeles and Orange counties. At least one of those stores has been met with protests.
According to Walmart Public Affairs, store reprentatives met with Sandra Thomas, the chair of the Altadena Town Council on Thursday morning. Walmart has released the following statement attributed to Dr. Thomas:
Today, I spoke with Walmart about their plans for the new Neighborhood Market in our community, and it was a very encouraging conversation. It is obvious that Walmart is not interested in just opening a grocery store in Altadena, but rather focused on serving our residents, and bringing solutions to the table such as providing jobs, community investment, and making sure we are working in partnership to create opportunities. Walmart will make a presentation to the Town Council this summer, and I look forward to continuing a productive and important conversation on this matter with the community.
Walmart Public Affairs representative Steven Restivo had the following statement:
We think Walmart can be part of the solution in the Altadena community for residents who want more affordable options close to home. Customers and businesses always prefer a vibrant storefront over a vacant building and we look forward to creating a new option for healthy food in the community
In an unofficial , 59 percent of the 275 who voted said they would not consider shopping at the store.
Walmart Public Affairs officials have indicated they will answer questions from Altadena Patch readers - if you have any questions about the store, let loose in the comment section and we will pass them along.
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