The growing range of formats Wal-Mart operates is gaining two additions both dedicated to Hispanic consumers, a group many mainstream retailers have had a hard time winning over.
The Financial Times first reported that Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club would develop their own Hispanic store variations. The Wal-Mart version will debut in converted Neighborhood Market locations, one in Houston and one in Phoenix, that will be renamed Supermercado de Walmart. The Sam’s, in Houston, will remain a warehouse club but with the name Mas Club and a retooled mix of products, the newspaper reported.
Wal-Mart hasn’t spent a lot of time developing brands dedicated to Latinos or establishing sub-departments specifically for Hispanic consumers, approaches that some supermarkets and general merchandise retailers including Kohl’s and Kmart have taken. Rather, Wal-Mart has been developing services that, while useful to many of its customers, are particularly valuable to Latino consumers, including wire transfers and, most recently, a lower cost prepaid Visa debit card.