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WAL-MART BREAKS GROUND FOR
NEW STORE IN LINDA, CA

Bentonville, AR — Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) announced today that it broke ground for a new store in Linda, at intersection of North Beale and Feather River Boulevard . The company hopes to complete construction on the new 148,503 square foot store this summer, with a projected opening date in the late summer/early fall of this year. Yuba County officials will be present to break ground at the development site at noon on Tuesday, February 11, 2003.

"In my mind Yuba County is back," Yuba County Supervisor Dan Logue emphatically stated. "When the biggest retailer in the world selects your community then good things are going to happen. This is a project that will bring personnel from Beale Air Force Base back to buying in Linda and it will serve to keep the taxpayers money in Yuba County."

"It’s notable that this project is within a five-mile radius of significant projects existing or slated for the area," commented Yuba County Economic Development Coordinator John Fleming. "The Plumas Lake Specific Plan area, home to as many as 12,000 single family residential lots is currently breaking ground on some of the first sub-divisions in many years. We should also see some exciting developments in the Sports and Entertainment Zone, currently anchored by the Auto West Amphitheatre."

This will be Wal-Mart’s first store in Yuba County.

"Wal-Mart looks forward to becoming part of the Marysville community," said company spokeswoman Amy Hill. "We believe this store will be a wonderful addition to the area, providing quality merchandise at everyday low prices, hundreds of quality jobs, and contributions to local organizations."

The store is expected to employ approximately 275 people, 70 percent of who will be full-time, according to Hill, who added that more than 65 percent of Wal-Mart’s management team were promoted from the hourly ranks. Currently, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. employs more than 52,000 associates in the state of California at 131 Wal-Mart stores, 30 Sam’s Clubs and six Distribution Centers.

Further, Hill stated, that, like other Wal-Mart stores around the state, the new Marysville Wal-Mart store will support local schools and community organizations. In fact, the store’s own employees, or "associates" as they are called, will determine which community organizations they will support with charitable contributions. In 2001, California Wal-Mart stores donated more than $9 million to local community-based organizations.

About Wal-Mart

When Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in 1962, it was the beginning of a classic American success story. A small-town merchant who had operated variety stores in Arkansas and Missouri, Walton was convinced that consumers would flock to a discount store with a wide array of merchandise and friendly service.

Since it opened its first California store in 1990 in Lancaster, Wal-Mart has injected millions of dollars into California's economy as the company builds new stores and expands employment. In the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2002, Wal-Mart collected and paid $520 million in sales taxes and paid $78 million in state and local taxes.

With annual sales of $217.7 billion, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates more than 2,845 discount stores, Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets, and more than 520 SAM'S CLUBS in the United States. Internationally, the company operates about 1,225 units. Wal-Mart employs 1.3 million associates worldwide. The company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. Last year Wal-Mart associates raised and contributed $196 million to support communities and local non-profit organizations. FORTUNE magazine has named Wal-Mart the third "most admired" company in America and one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States, and Americans named Wal-Mart the company they think of first in supporting local causes and issues, according to Cone, Inc. More information about Wal-Mart can be located on-line at www.walmartstores.com and www.walmart.com. The SAM'S CLUB Web site can be accessed at www.samsclub.com. And more information about Wal-Mart's Good Works community involvement is available online at www.walmartfoundation.org.

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