New Walmart in Manassas opens Wed.

A new Walmart opens in Manassas tomorrow, bringing about 350 new jobs to the area.

The new store will also offer a full line of groceries and an increase in tax revenue to boost the area's economy.

Non-profit organizations will also benefit from the retailer's ongoing charitable contributions and support for community projects.

The store at 8336 Sudley Road in the Manassas Mall will open to customers at 8 a.m.

Community and business leaders will join Walmart employees at 7 a.m. for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Store associate Darrel Pope will perform the national anthem and members of the Stonewall Jackson High School Color Guard will present the colors. Manager Georgia Knepp and other associates will cut the ribbon to the new store.

As part of Walmart's commitment to the communities in which it operates, $20,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation will be presented to local groups. A $10,000 grant will be presented to SERVE, Inc. to assist the local food pantry.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, The Didlake Foundation, the Battlefield Lodge Charitable Foundation "Shop with a Cop" and Prince William County Public Schools will each receive $2,500 grants.

The new store will employ about 575, including 350 new positions added by the relocation. More than 140 of the store's employees have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years. Knepp is a Pennsylvania native who began her Walmart career in 1999 as a lawn and garden department manager at a store in Ocean City, Md. The average wage for employees in Virginia is $11.46 per hour.

In recent months, Walmart has taken steps to refresh its stores, merchandising and customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company's newest stores.

The new facility features wide aisles, enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers. Walmart aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently. The pharmacy, for example, is adjacent to food, making it easier for customers to pick up their prescriptions while shopping for their groceries.

"The layout of the store is easy to navigate which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities," said Knepp. "By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase including health and beauty and pet supplies, we are making one-stop shopping even easier."

The 203,000-square-foot store will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. It has a full line of groceries, including a bakery, a deli serving fresh food and meat solutions for moms, meat and dairy products, fresh produce, beer and wine.

There are more than 30 merchandise departments such as apparel and accessories, a lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids, and an expanded electronics department. Convenience services include a pharmacy, vision center, digital photo processing center, Walmart Connect Center and a MoneyCenter.

Leased area and services include Dunkin' Donuts and a branch of Wood Forest Bank.

Staff writer Bennie Scarton Jr. can be reached at 703-369-6707.