At the beginning of this year, Walmart laid out its ambitious plan to remodel 650 stores across the U.S. by the end of 2024. The company also committed to building or converting 150 stores over the next five years. But Walmart's growth strategy doesn't stop with its big box stores—it recently announced that it's opening new health centers and grocery stores across the country and adding in-store fast-casual restaurants.
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The first bit of news from Walmart corporate comes after the company closed all 51 of its doctor-staffed Walmart Health centers in April 2024. According to USA Today, the health centers—which were predominantly located in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, and Illinois and provided low-cost services—closed due to "rising operations costs and reimbursement challenges."
However, it was recently announced that some of these shuttered locations will be reopened as senior primary care centers through a partnership with the health insurance company Humana. According to a press release, CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Care Centers will open at 23 Walmart Supercenters in Florida (specifically the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Jacksonville areas); the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area; Kansas City, Missouri; and the Dallas/Forth Worth, Texas metropolitan area. They're expected to open by the first half of 2025.
"CenterWell is committed to providing seniors with high quality health care that is accessible, comprehensive, and most of all, personalized. We are excited by the unique opportunity to lease space from a world-class community partner such as Walmart and offer seniors in these four states greater access to our integrated approach to care," Sanjay Shetty, MD, president of CenterWell, said in the press release.
He continued, "These nearly two dozen primary care centers are specifically designed for seniors, and each location’s design, including dedicated entrances and easy parking, offers patients the access that they have come to expect at our clinics across the nation. We are eager to expand on our mission to help patients lead happier, healthier lives."
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Walmart is also opening new Neighborhood Market locations. These grocery stores are typically smaller than Walmart Supercenters, but as part of the company's overall growth plan, new Neighborhood Markets will be larger and stock more food offerings.
According to a Walmart announcement, the first two new Neighborhood Markets will open in the Dune Lakes area of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and the Vine City neighborhood of Atlanta. They'll both be 57,000 square feet, which is approximately "17,000 square feet larger than the average Neighborhood Market."
"Customers will see the biggest gains in our Fresh departments. There will be more to choose from in bakery, produce, meat and dairy," reads the announcement. "Plus, the expanded service deli will offer more hot case options."
Other changes include wider aisles, additional pickup and delivery space, and a Health Services Room adjacent to the pharmacy where customers can have privacy during vaccinations and consultations.
Finally, Walmart is in the process of adding in-store fast-casual dining options through a partnership with Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ. As Grocery Dive reported, these will be known as Walmart Crave and will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Menu items include hot dogs, barbeque sandwiches, and desserts, all of which can be ordered in-store or through the Crave app, Grubhub, or DoorDash.
Previously, Walmart announced that the chain Mr. Gatti’s Pizza would open 92 locations in Walmart stores. And in early 2024, outposts of Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar and Wetzel’s Pretzels began opening within Walmart locations.
