BENTONVILLE, AR - The labor war wages on, with Walmart finally revealing what it has been hiding up its sleeve: a new innovative headquarters. Last week, the retail behemoth announced it is breaking ground on a 300-acre corporate HQ in northwest Arkansas that is expected to lure in talent thanks to a few exciting perks.

“It’s a very competitive talent war,” Dan Bartlett, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, said to reporters according to Business Insider. “And as we are striving to attract and retain the best talent in order for us to win the future of retail, a key component that is the work environment in which we’re creating.”

With its new HQ, Walmart hopes to create more of a community amidst its employees—which Bartlett believes its current Bentonville-based headquarters lacks due to its structure. In order to promote collaboration while also pushing forward its digital transformation, the retailer pulled inspiration from college campuses like Stanford University, the University of Texas, and the University of Arkansas, as well as other companies’ innovative corporate campuses like Apple and McDonald’s.

“We view this…more like a college university campus, versus a walled-off-from-the-community corporate headquarters,” Bartlett continued. “We want it to feel—and it will be—very accessible to the community.”

In a press release, Bartlett also outlined what new and veteran Walmart employees can expect from the HQ, including ample natural light, expanded food offerings, convenient parking, fitness options, and a child care facility. The new facility will also feature solar panels atop parking decks, energy-efficient lighting, HVAC systems, regionally sourced building materials, and a habitat for wildlife, shade paths, and bike trails.

“We expect this will accelerate Walmart’s digital transformation and help attract the next generation of talent with state-of-the-art technology and contemporary conveniences,” Bartlett wrote in the press release.

Doug McMillon, President and CEO, added, “Arkansas has been good to us, and there’s nowhere else we’d rather call home. When I imagine the next 60 years, I can’t help but smile at the possibilities."

Construction will kick off this July, with the project expected to be completed in 2024. Walmart plans to open in phases between 2020 and 2024.

Will Walmart’s new HQ successfully pull in more talent? And how will competitors respond to Walmart’s latest labor strategy? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

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