July 17, 2014
Sam’s Club opened three new locations this month including locations near Chicago, Fort Worth and Wichita, Kansas, that pushed its club count to 630 units.
The Wichita location at 3084 N. Maize Road opened on July 17 and provided Sam’s with an opportunity to remind current and prospective members of its value proposition. For example, Sam’s noted that it recently became the first U.S. retailer to actively implement chip-enabled credit card reader technology in its clubs and also recently introduced a new credit card which has an embedded chip designed to protect cardholders from fraud. The new card also features a cash back program giving members the opportunity to earn cash back on all purchases, up to $5,000 per year.
The Wichita location featured Sam’s now familiar trio of health services that includes a pharmacy, optical and hearing aid centers. To expose residents to those services, Sam’s provided a wide range of free screenings on opening day and the weekend of July 18-19.
Earlier in the month, Sam’s Club opened locations in Montgomery, Illinois, a far western suburb of Chicago and Burleson, Texas, a half hour due south of Fort Worth. The location in Montgomery, at 1050 Ogden Avenue, also featured health care screenings, and a bit of grand pening novelty. The club offered members the opportunity to experience Marvel 3D printing and create miniature versions of themselves with their faces on the bodies of Marvel superheroes.
The 3D capability brought a bit of “wow” factor to the opening as did some big name Chicago sports stores. Former Bears defensive tackles Dan Hampton and Anthony Adams were on hand along with former Blackhawks coach Denis Savard.
The location near Fort Worth in Burleson at 600 N. Burleson Boulevard also featured the Marvel 3D experience and former Dallas Cowboys great Charles Haley was on hand for autograph signings.
Source: Retailing Today
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