Crystal Lake Walmart re-opens after remodel

The Crystal Lake Walmart reopened this month with a new look.

The store, 205 S. Route 31, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 20.

The improvements are part of Walmart’s plans to spend an estimated $56 million over the next year in Illinois through the remodeling of 16 stores, as well as the rollout of several in-store and online innovations, such as online grocery pickup, according to a news release.

The Crystal Lake store is home to Illinois’ first Walmart Academy and one of the first to participate in online grocery delivery.

Among the changes: a revamped electronics department with interactive displays, a revitalized apparel department with updated fitting rooms, a new tool department with additional offerings, wider aisles and lower fixtures for improved store flow and easier navigation.

“At Walmart, we pride ourselves on saving our customers money and now, with innovative services like grocery pickup, we are also saving them valuable time,” Carpentersville store manager Phil Armstrong said in a statement.

The company is making improvements to several of its stores in the northwest suburbs, with the expansion of its free online grocery pickup service to stores in Carpentersville and Huntley.

– Daniel Gaitan