New Wal-Mart to open Oct. 24

A new era in local shopping will begin next Wednesday, Oct. 24, when manager Amy Hayden and other dignitaries gather at 7:30 a.m. to cut the ribbon for the new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Ladysmith.

The public is invited to the ceremony. The Ladysmith High School Band will play the National Anthem.

Doors to the 104,000 square foot Supercenter will open to the public immediately following the ceremony (about 8 a.m.) and shoppers will get their first look at the long-awaited store, built on a portion of the former Mount Senario College athletic fields, west of the new traffic lights on Wis. 27.

The store was completed and opened six months after the April 16 ground breaking, due in part to a good site, favorable weather and use of prefabricated concrete exterior panels in its construction.

Contractors turned the building over to Wal-Mart on Sept. 17, and 225 associates set up shelving and stocked the store in just over five weeks, working 24 hours a day Monday through Saturday, and daytime only on Sunday, according to Hayden.

“Everything came together extremely well,” Hayden added. “Our associates are very excited to present the store to the community. They worked very hard.”

Fixtures were brought to the new store in 33 loaded semi-trailers. Merchandise arrived in 17 semi-trailers. Groceries and frozen food will be brought from Tomah in 10 trucks just prior to the store’s opening.

Staffed by 240 people, the Supercenter, will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

The average wage at Wal-Mart for full-time hourly associates in Wisconsin is approximately $11 per hour. Benefits available to eligible full- and part-time associates include health insurance with no lifetime maximum, store discount cards, company performance-based bonuses, a stock purchase program and life insurance.

At Wednesday morning’s grand opening ceremony Wal-Mart will demonstrate its commitment to the Ladysmith community by donating $26,000 to local charities. Lady-smith High School is among the grant recipients, receiving $7,000 toward a new concession stand at the high school field and money for the high school band. Other recipients include the Ladysmith Police Dept. and the Greater Ladysmith Area Chamber of Commerce.

Also receiving money are Kinship of Rusk County, the Rusk County Community Library, Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, Women With Courage Foundation and the Village of Hawkins.

The new store will create jobs and generate tax revenue, but the benefits exceed the economic impact, according to Andy Albarado, vice president of the chamber of commerce.

“We believe the addition of a Supercenter will help create a more livable community,” said Albarado, who is also Rusk County’s economic development director. “Hopefully it will draw other businesses to our community that can benefit from having a large retailer like Wal-Mart. We think overall it’s going to make Ladysmith a more attractive community in which to live and work.” He expects the new Wal-Mart will keep more shopping dollars in town.

“Shoppers are looking forward to the value and convenience of the new 104,000 square foot Supercenter,” said store manager Hayden. Customers now are driving 45 minutes to an hour to reach a Supercenter.

Hayden said shoppers will find the new Supercenter appealing inside and out. When they step inside for the first time on Wednesday they’ll pass through an entryway flanked by wood and fieldstone to create a “lodge or northwoods look” complementing Ladysmith’s scenic beauty.

The Supercenter will feature a full line of groceries, bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, fresh produce, apparel and accessories, fine jewelry, a lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids, a pharmacy, a full line of electronics, beer, liquor and wine, and a Wal-Mart Connect Center.

As a leader in environmental sustainability, Wal-Mart has incorporated skylights, concrete flooring and energy saving lighting in the new Ladysmith Supercenter. The lights in frozen food cases come on only when customers walk down the aisle. The store also will carry sustainable products, including compact fluorescent light bulbs.

As customers pass through the 10 full-service and four express checkout lanes they will see Wal-Mart’s new slogan, “Save Money, Live Better.”

There can be no doubt that Wal-Mart, America’s biggest retailer, will leave its mark on the community, making Ladysmith a destination for shoppers from a wide area.