Basketball Stars, a Carnival and More to Launch Walmart's New Look

Walmart is just about ready for the official big reveal of its newly redesigned store on

After the store will host a grand re-opening Friday, June 17. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is at 8 a.m. Most of the festivities are 8 a.m. - noon.

Activities include: autograph signing and pictures with Atlanta Hawks player Damien Wilkins and the team's mascot, Harry; three ladies from the WNBA Atlanta Dream team will be there with T-shirts, raffles for the Children's Miracle Network, a carnival and various other fun activities for children and families to participate in.

The store was among several in the metro-Atlanta area to recently be remodeled, and approximately 75 people were hired to help implement the new changes. The new design is based on customer feedback. Among the store's enhancements are a new layout, bright interior paint, and better lighting and signage. In a press release, the company called it the "next generation of store design and customer experience."

“We listened to our customers and have redesigned the store to make shopping at Walmart even easier,” said store manager Kenny Banks, in a press statement. “The new layout is easier to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for necessities."

Changes include:

• Departments that customers shop most frequently are now together
• The Site-to-Store pick-up location and one-hour dry photo lab are now combined into a single area at the back of the store
• Bright, interior paint scheme and enhanced lighting to create a more inviting customer experience and to better define the store’s merchandise areas.
• New directional signage
• An expanded electronics department, featuring a large selection of consumer electronics and home entertainment
• New interactive displays for hi-definition Blu-ray, video gaming and some portable electronics to create a more hands-on experience