Wal-Mart's 'Urban Format': The Wal-Mart Sushi Bar

From the hardwood floors to the rooftop parking lot, you'll see little trace of the retailer's suburban big box when the doors open Wednesday. The Midtown store sits below street level, out of sight from the traffic on Howell Mill Road. Inside, Wal-Mart has ditched the bargain-basement atmosphere for a more upscale air, complete with sushi bar.

...The new urban format is one piece in a puzzle that Wal-Mart hasn't had to solve until recently... In response, Wal-Mart is ramping up its "store of the community" strategy, designed to reflect the tastes of local demographics.

The urban format, up and running at only a handful of the chain's 3,700 U.S. stores, is an amplification of a localized strategy that's rolling out across the country..."