By Suzanne Elliott
SElliott@DominionPost.com
The Walmart at Retail Circle in Morgantown is slated for a facelift in July, part of the retailer’s plan to invest $31.9 million in improvements to six of its stores in the state.
The Retail Circle store, opened in 1994 off Hornbeck Road, is scheduled to include one of Walmart’s Pickup Towers, Walmart spokesman Mark Rickel said.
The orange towers are 16-feet tall, high-tech vending machines inside the store.
The tower’s technology can fill a customer’s online order within minutes after they arrive at the store. Rickel said the customer will receive an access code on his smart phone that he can then place on the machine and receive the ordered items. At present, there are no plans to place a tower in the University Town Centre Walmart, he added.
Improvements to the Retail Circle store are expected to begin in July. While details are still being finalized, typical upgrades include the addition of a private consultation room in the pharmacy. The hardware department will be updated and have additional items. Also, the apparel department will be upgraded.
New signage and flooring will be placed throughout the store. Plans also include fresh paint inside and outside the store. Shoppers will not be impacted during the renovations. Roughly 300 people work at the Retail Circle store. No additional jobs will be created by the project, Rickel said.
“We recognize the changing landscape and will continue to make innovations available to meet our customers’ needs regardless if they are shopping in a store, online or using the Walmart app,” Tina Rodriguez, Walmart Regional general manager for West Virginia, said in a statement.
Other West Virginia stores scheduled for remodels are in Summersville, Beckley, Weirton, Parkersburg and Barboursville. Walmart has 44 stores in the state.
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