Walmart Supercenter Conversion

Walmart set out to convert a standard 125,430-square-foot store in Mountain View, CA, into a Supercenter by adding refrigerated grocery space and expanding the pickup service area to meet the community’s needs. The project posed a challenge to the BRR team: design the new components without expanding the store’s square footage and keep the location open for business throughout the entire remodel.

Delivering the Supercenter experience in a space that’s more than 50,000 square feet smaller than typical locations requires detailed planning and close coordination with store management to determine the construction schedule. Having more than 30 years of Walmart design experience made the BRR team uniquely qualified for the challenge.

Significant interior upgrades were made to create a brighter, open and more welcoming shopping experience. Designers transformed the space by raising the ceiling and adding a floating lighting grid; the result is an open, contemporary retail environment that enhances the overall customer experience while simultaneously improving the building’s energy efficiency.

The team reconfigured the store to support an expanded fresh grocery section, a bakery and a hot deli bar. Additionally, it reimagined the pharmacy location into a bright, welcoming space. The updates are supported by expanded back-of-house kitchen areas and mechanical support for the additional refrigeration components.

In the grocery section, the redesign provides an intuitive and engaging progression throughout the store. A significant part of expanding the grocery section involved installing roof-mounted refrigeration equipment. Through careful coordination with MEPs concerning equipment placement and structural reinforcement, the team installed the equipment on the roof while the store remained open for patrons.

The store now also features programming improvements, including Online Pickup and Delivery functionality. By expanding the department and introducing a 12-foot door, the store now accommodates efficient associate operations and customer flow.

Strict jurisdictional requirements prompted the team to plan early and proactively coordinate with consultants. To maintain the schedule, the team aimed to avoid a formal planning review by implementing a rigorous internal QA/QC process. BRR’s construction permit coordination team supported this workflow through ongoing, collaborative conversations with city staff to determine clear design guidelines.

Finally, the team effectively minimized the risk of triggering a planning review by intentionally limiting changes to the building façade. Under a lighter review process, the team updated exterior lighting, entrance doors and the façade’s paint color to Walmart’s new brand color.

Through strategic planning, detailed coordination and innovative design solutions, the Mountain View Walmart delivers a full-service Supercenter experience in 30% less space than a traditional Supercenter.