Times Observer photo by Monica Keller The Walmart store in North Warren is pictured on Wednesday. The store will undergo a remodeling project sometime this year, according to Walmart officials.

The Walmart store in North Warren is one of 26 Pennsylvania stores getting a facelift this year.

Walmart has set a goal to remodel more than 650 stores across the U.S., including the 26 stores in Pennsylvania and the store in Lakewood, N.Y., which is in the middle of a remodeling project now. Prior to 2025, Walmart invested more than $493 million to upgrade stores throughout Pennsylvania in the past five years.

“Our stores often serve as the heartbeat of the communities we operate in, and these remodels are a testament to our dedication to enhancing that role,” said Annie Walker, Senior Vice President, East Business Unit at Walmart. “By investing in our stores and associates, we are not only improving the shopping experience but also reinforcing our commitment to being a vital part of the community’s fabric, helping to build a brighter future for all.”

Remodeled stores will get new signs and displays, expanded departments with new items, expanded online pickup and delivery areas to fill the growing number of online customer orders and changes to pharmacies that include wider aisles, private screening rooms and privacy checkout areas.

“We need to stay focused on serving our customers how they want us to serve them. So that may mean in store, that may mean digital, that may mean pick up. It may mean in-home. For me, I love in-home. So I think it’s just don’t lose sight of that and then wherever that takes us, I can’t necessarily tell you. But we’re tuned in and we’re ready to go where our customers lead us,” said Joni Sartain, Walmart vice president of realty execution.

Walmart’s earnings decreased slightly for its most recent quarter, with reported earnings of $5.25 billion, or 65 cents per share, in the quarter ended Jan. 31. That compares with $5.49 billion, or 68 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings per share for the most recent quarter was 66 cents. Sales rose 4.1% to $180.55 billion in the quarter.

For Walmart’s U.S. division, comparable store sales — which include online and stores open for the past 12 months — rose 4.6% in the U.S., a bit lower than the 5.3% in the previous quarter. The retailer had a 4.2% jump in the U.S. in the second quarter and 3.8% in the first quarter.

According to the Associated Press, Walmart was among the first major U.S. retailers to report financial results for the period, and the store’s financial reports showed Americans focusing increasingly on necessities rather than big TVs, furniture or appliances. They’ve become much more discerning because of higher costs for credit as well as for groceries.

“We have momentum driven by our low prices, a growing assortment, and an eCommerce business driven by faster delivery times,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told the Associated Press in February. “We’re gaining market share, our top line is healthy, and we’re in great shape with inventory.”

Kieran Shanahan, Walmart Chief Operating Officer

We think the stores we operate are a part of their local community and why is that where the customers that shop them and the associates that work there or live in those communities that’s who we serve so we want to make sure our stores reflect the community they serve but also make sure our stars are up today that they offer the best of what Walmart has to offer and that they enable people to shop the way they want to shop.

When we go in and we’re doing a remodel and we’re investing in a store I love to see the impact that it has on the community and the individuals that come into those stores and the stories that I’m hearing from that so I’m hearing stories of people FaceTiming their family and other areas saying hey look what we’re doing in my Walmart look what’s coming to us