- The Business Journal of Jacksonville reports on Wal-Mart’s strategy of moving away from cookie-cutter boxes in order to blend into neighborhoods – and assuage hostile potential neighbors.
“The trend started four years ago when CEO Lee Scott presented what he called the four most important aspects of a community store: architecture, landscaping, product lines and hired associates,” the Journal writes. “Since then, Wal-Mart has been working with city neighborhoods to blend into communities, not only architecturally but also in terms of items sold and associates who are hired…
The paper notes that ”with a shift to more natural tones, green and tan, and 10 basic designs ranging from modern to southern colonial, every new store will be designed to blend into its surroundings.” And, the company says that “measures taken to make it a ‘greener’ company have included donating one acre of forest for every acre of development, extensive recycling and the opening of experimental environmentally friendly stores.”
