A grand re-opening ceremony took place Friday morning at Brownwood’s Walmart location, which is celebrating the completion of a 16-week remodel.

Store manager Debbie Deal thanked the community for their patience during the ‘total face lift’ undertaken at the store.

Among the significant changes, a new online grocery section was added to the west end of the store, while additional self-checkout registers have been added in place of manned registers up front.

Deal, in an interview with KOXE, addressed public concerns that self-checkouts would take jobs away from employees.

“Not a single employee has lost their job because of the change,” said Deal, who added the Brownwood Walmart employs 348 people. “We have people that will help those people that need it with their self-checkouts.”

Along with Walmart dignitaries, Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes also spoke and voiced his appreciation for Walmart’s reinvestment in the community.

“All the jobs it creates, all the sales tax that’s created by the shopping that exists here, Walmart is a very, very valuable part of our community,” Haynes said.

The Brownwood Walmart store also made a donation of $25,000 to Good Samaritan Ministries during the event.

Other store changes include the removal of tile on the floor as in its place is now concrete. The pharmacy increased in registers from two to five, and there has also been a small immunization office added.

The sporting goods department made considerable changes as well, with more hunting gear and less exercise equipment, as that has mostly moved online.

Also, furniture now receives a more prominent display and mannequins are being used to model apparel.

The restrooms are revamped and two mothers’ rooms have been added as well.

And outside, the store front has received a paint job of blue, gray and white, moving away from the shades of beige from the recent past.

Around 55 people worked on the project specifically to make sure its was completed by June 21.

The ceremony ended with a ribbon cutting by the Brownwood Area and Early Chambers of Commerce.