Walmart is remodeling more than 650 U.S. stores and opening 20 new ones this year

Walmart $WMT announced plans to remodel more than 650 Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets this year, alongside about 20 new store openings scheduled for 2026 and early 2027.

According to the company, the renovations will bring reconfigured layouts featuring wider aisles, broader pickup and delivery options — express delivery among them — along with refreshed pharmacies and vision centers. New digital features aimed at connecting online and in-store shopping are also part of the effort. At a number of Neighborhood Market locations, the changes include additions to deli and hot bar offerings, better lighting, the introduction of pharmacy delivery, and enhanced back-end space dedicated to online grocery fulfillment.

Among the new locations already open or underway in 2026 are Supercenters serving Eastvale, California; the Apollo Beach and The Villages communities in Florida; and Jacksonville, along with a Neighborhood Market in Ocala, Florida. Elsewhere, a Supercenter in Tucson, Arizona is slated for expansion, and Celina, Texas is set to receive an entirely new Supercenter.

Walmart opened nine new stores last year across Alabama, California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, and Utah. According to Retail Insight Network, the expansion is part of a broader push that Walmart committed to in early 2024, when the company announced plans to open or convert more than 150 locations while continuing to make upgrades to existing stores.

"Our goal is simple: we want shopping to feel easy, intuitive, and connected while continuing to deliver the everyday low prices our customers expect," Walmart said in a statement. The company says these efforts will create jobs in construction and retail, and bring economic benefits to local communities through grants and supplier partnerships. Walmart also noted that its delivery network now covers enough of the country to deliver to 95% of U.S. households in three hours or less.

The store investment push comes as Walmart has been drawing higher-income shoppers in growing numbers, with roughly 75% of the retailer's market share gains coming from households earning more than $100,000. Executives have described a broader strategy of elevating store quality and experience while maintaining low prices — a convergence that has helped attract customers trading down from higher-end retailers.

The company's physical expansion also runs alongside rapid growth in its digital and marketplace businesses. Walmart's most recent quarterly results showed global eCommerce sales rising 24%, with U.S. comparable sales up 4.6% and digital contributing significantly to comparable growth. At a recent industry conference, Walmart CFO John David Rainey indicated that the marketplace is expanding at roughly 20% annually, according to Pymnts, while specific segments — including home goods, hardlines, and fashion — are outpacing that figure by a significant margin, each exceeding 30% growth.