A look inside the new Walmart superstore opening soon in Rexburg
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REXBURG — The upper valley is buzzing about the grand opening of the new Walmart on North Second East and East Moody road in Rexburg.
EastIdahoNews.com got an official sneak preview inside the 185,000 square foot superstore, which is double the size of the current store.
Plans for the larger location began in 2013, and ground was broken in March 2015.
“We’ll offer a lot more variety than what we do now,” said Mike Bullard, the manager of Walmart. “We’ll have fresh meat, fresh bakery, and a fresh deli department which we don’t offer in the current facility. Plus we have a fuel station and an auto care center.”
A vision center with a full-time doctor will be included in the new location and a Walmart fuel station with a convenience store will be the first in southeast Idaho.
Bullard said having the superstore will help keep business local and should shorten the trip for those who travel from Driggs or St. Anthony.
“It’s going to keep people here in town. They won’t have to travel to Idaho Falls to get that one-stop shop,” Bullard said. “It’s difficult to shop in the older store because it’s so tight.”
The employees at the new store are working as fast as possible to get the store prepared. The current location has 200 workers and have taken on 85 new hires to manage the new facility.
The new Walmart is a mile north of town, so Salt Lake Express is beginning shuttle service to accommodate students and locals who don’t have access to transportation.
The shuttle has eight stops set up around campus and runs everyday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. To find out when and where the shuttle will stop, go to rexburgwalmartshuttle.com or get the mobile app linked on the website.
“Usually there’s a lot of stuff (at the current Walmart) that’s out of stock, so with the (new) Walmart, I’m hoping there will be a lot more things to get,” BYU-Idaho Student Shayna Elliot said.
Bullard said he couldn’t confirm an official opening date, but told EastIdahoNews.com store management hopes to open by the end of this month.
Later today, EastIdahoNews.com will upload a video tour from inside the building. We’ll also have more details on the new business.
