‘Project Impact’ seeks to reinvent look of Walmart

By Hannah Poturalski

The Columbus Dispatch

The recession brought many middle-class customers to Walmart for the first time. Now that the economy has shown some improvement, the discount retailer is trying to keep them coming back, in part by giving stores a fresh new look.

Called ‘Project Impact,’ the effort began in 2008, and the company hopes to have all stores remodeled by 2013.

“It’s all about making shopping easier for the customer,” said Bill Wertz, a regional spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Changes include vibrant paint schemes inside, better lighting, wider aisles, easy-to-read signs and fewer in-aisle displays. In addition, some departments are being moved to be more convenient for shoppers, such as the shift of pet supplies to the grocery section of the remodeled stores. And displays have been altered to place more products within shoppers’ line of sight.

Wertz said the changes are based on continuous surveying of customers on whether the layout is convenient.

Walmart is also changing its signs to reflect its new retail name — removing the hyphen and adding a star.

“The name doesn’t have the military-looking feel to it, and the blue is softer,” said Joseph Feldman, retail analyst at Telsey Advisory Group in New York. ‘People start to feel like they’re in Target, but it’s blue. It’s a more-inviting Walmart.’