Wal-Mart Tries 'Experimental' Unit

MCKINNEY, TX-Wal-Mart has opened here what it bills as an “experimental” Supercenter. The 206,000-sf unit is a relocation from another area of town and is 86,000 sf larger than the original store.

The largest retailer in the world refers to the Supercenter as experimental because of environmental initiatives at the unit. Wal-Mart workers will try to reduce the amount of energy and natural resources used at the store. For example, extra cooking oil used at the store could be mixed with oil from the automotive department to heat the Supercenter.

As part of the unit’s construction, the company has designed a system of shrubs, grasses and rocks to prevent runoff, called a bioswale; constructed a wind turbine that will reduce the electricity used by 5%; and added solar panels, among other features. Wal-Mart executives say they plan to share the results of their environmental-friendly findings at the store with the rest of the retail real estate industry.