Business

Elkton Walmart to unveil remodeling project on Friday

ELKTON, Md., May 31, 2010 – The Elkton Walmart, located at 1000 E. Pulaski Highway, will celebrate a grand re-opening this week, giving local shoppers a glimpse of the company’s next generation of store design and customer experience. The results of a two-month remodeling project will be unveiled at the Elkton Walmart at 8 a.m., Friday, June 4. Among the many improvements are a new layout, wider aisles, low-profile shelving, bright interior paint scheme, enhanced lighting and easy-to-read signage to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers than ever before.

“We listened to our customers and have redesigned the store to make shopping at Walmart even easier,” said store manager Jonathan Cruz.

New Layout Improves Customer Experience

The remodeled Elkton store features a more open shopping environment with wider aisles that contain no product displays. Walmart also aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently, making it quicker to purchase everyday items.

“The new layout is easier to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for necessities,” said Cruz.

Among the changes, Walmart has combined the Site-to-Store pick-up location and photo lab into a single area at the rear of the store. Customers now have ready access to these services as well as associates who can provide assistance as needed.

A bright interior paint scheme and enhanced lighting create a more inviting shopping experience and help define the store’s merchandise areas. Low-profile shelving creates an improved sightline and directional signage helps customers find the products they need.

Expanded Departments Add Value and Savings

The remodel also brings Walmart customers an expanded electronics department featuring a wide selection of the latest consumer electronics and home entertainment. The new design includes a more hands-on experience for customers with interactive displays for hi-definition Blu-ray, video gaming and portable electronics. The interactive experience enables shoppers to test new technology.

A new department called Celebration Station has been added and will feature party supplies, greeting cards, balloons and helium tanks, cake supplies and gift wrap.

Grand Re-opening Activities Include Support for Local Organizations

The grand re-opening celebration is scheduled for Friday, June 4, and will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. During the ceremony, store associates will present $7,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to eight local organizations including Bayside Community Network, Inc., Boys and Girls Club of Cecil County, Boys and Girls Club of Delaware, Immaculate Conception Church, Impacting Your World Christian, Inc., Therapeutic Riding at Carousel, Town of Elkton and Town of Elkton Police Department.

_____________________________________________

From GlobSt.Com ~  CNL Properties Acquires Two Maryland Marinas

By Erika Morphy

CECIL COUNTY, MD-CNL Lifestyle Properties, a lifestyle properties REIT, has made inroads in the Mid-Atlantic region with the acquisition of two marinas on the Maryland side of the Chesapeake. CNL acquired the marinas from Covenant Cove Marine for $7 million, boosting the company’s marinas portfolio to 21.The assets are Bohemia Vista Yacht Basin and Hack’s Point Marina, located on the water in Cecil County. CNL also entered into a partnership with Aqua Marine Partners, to operate the properties under long-term triple net leases.

These transactions are smaller than what the REIT typically acquires, Byron Carlock, president and CEO of CNL Lifestyle Properties, tells GlobeSt.com. However, they are important because they represent a toehold for the REIT in the Chesapeake area and they led to a relationship with a new marina operating partner, he says. “We are a net lease landlord and this transaction gives us a new tenant relationship.”

CNL expects to make between $300 to $400 million in acquisitions across all asset types in its portfolio this year. It recently acquired four marinas in California: Anacapa Isle Marina in Oxnard; Ventura Isle Marina in Ventura; Ballena Isle Marina in Alameda, near San Jose; and Cabrillo Isle Marina in San Diego.