The remodelings, based on a much-touted supercenter that Wal-Mart (WMT : Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. WMT45.75, +0.05, +0.1%) built last year in Rogers, Ark., will cover concrete floors with mock-wood flooring, widen the aisles and use better-looking and easier-to-read signage, Vice Chairman John Menzer told investors and analysts at conference late Tuesday in Miami.
Updated for stronger presentation in the apparel, electronics and home-goods sections are on the board as are upgraded bathrooms with steel fixtures.
All told, about 57% of its U.S. discount and supercenter stores will be refurbished. It's unclear what this will cost the behemoth.
Menzer said only it would be a "very minor capital expenditure."
The move follows last year's strategic shift toward better-heeled customers, in the hopes they would pick up apparel and bigger-ticket items while grocery shopping.
Though the company has insisted that it will not abandon its core customers -- lower-income shoppers who are sensitive to the price of goods -- it has unveiled a number of operational and merchandising strategies aimed at building a broader base of customers.
"Although Wal-Mart's redmodel strategy appears necessary for the long term, albeit more reactive than proactive in our view, we believe that near-term uncertainties in consumer behavior pose some risk to the timing of the initiative," said UBS Investment Research analyst Neil Currie in a note to clients on Wednesday.
Wal-Mart shares, part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, added 14 cents to $44.88 in morning trading.
