LIBN: Walmart unveils expanded Farmingdale store

By: David Winzelberg

The Walmart at Republic Plaza in Farmingdale unveiled its newly expanded store on Wednesday.

The 62,450-square-foot expansion has transformed the store into a 219,450-square-foot Walmart Supercenter, adding a supermarket, an online ordering drive-thru pickup area, new entrance vestibules and expanded departments.

Republic Plaza landlord Breslin Realty used vacant land at the shopping center to make room for the Walmart expansion. Walmart says the expansion will add 250 jobs.

“This expansion of our Farmingdale store brings dramatic benefits to the entire local community, which is particularly exciting during these challenging times,” Store Manager Said Hasan said in a company statement. “By increasing our grocery offerings and incorporating the latest innovations, we’ve made shopping even more convenient for our customers. And the entire area benefits from the hundreds of jobs we’ve created.”

Walmart is celebrating the grand re-opening during the next several days with festivities in the Farmingdale Supercenter’s parking lot, including giveaways by vendors such as Red Bull, Kellogg’s, Snapple, AriZona Beverages, Pepsi, Bimbo, Nabisco, Utz, Under Armour, and Wise.

About 75 percent of Walmart’s 4,754 U.S. stores are now known as Supercenters, according to the retail giant.