The grand opening of the 185,682-square-foot Ceres Walmart Supercenter will take place at 8 a.m. Friday at Service and Mitchell roads.

The opening of the store inside the Mitchell Ranch Shopping Center comes after 14 years of waiting due to a series of exhausting legal challenges by Stockton attorney Brett S. Jolley and a group called Citizens of Ceres.

“I’m extremely excited,” said store manager Alma Valadez who gave the local media a sneak peek of the new Supercenter Monday evening. “The community needs this. It’s more convenient here because you have more choices. It’s a legit one-stop shop. You don’t have to look at a lot of other places. Most stores don’t have the wide range of selection that we do of groceries.”

Valadez has worked for Walmart since 1999. She was named manager of the Ceres store at Hatch and Mitchell in May of 2020. She previously filled the same position in Atwater for two years.

“I love it here,” Valadez said. “They take of their employees and give their associates an opportunity to succeed.”

Approximately 200 employees from the existing store at Hatch and Mitchell have been transferred to the new store at Service and Mitchell. An additional 175 employees were hired.

“It’s bittersweet,” Valadez said while talking about the closing of the old Ceres Walmart. “I’m proud of my team. They’re so engaged in this new store. They love it. It already feels like home. This store is so beautiful.”

The Ceres Walmart Supercenter will have a drive-thru pharmacy, along with a carport for store pickup.

“We’re catering a lot to the online shopper,” Valadez said.

Walmart Plus members will have access to designated checkout lines.

“No other stores have that,” said Valadez.

The new Ceres Walmart will have a Dunkin’ Donuts inside.

It will also have a larger assortment of Hispanic products.

“There are a lot of different options you’ll see here compared to other stores,” Valadez said.

Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez, Interim City Manager Alex Terrazas and Chief of Police Rick Collins plan to attend Friday’s grand opening.

“I’m expecting a large turnout,” said Valadez. “We got all kinds of stuff going on. It will be fun.”

The Ceres Walmart Supercenter will be open Monday through Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information, call 209-538-1743. The phone number will be operational starting this Friday.

Work began on the Ceres Walmart Supercenter in December 2020 at the northwest corner of Mitchell and Service roads. The Supercenter is the anchor and first building of the 304,000-square-foot Mitchell Ranch Shopping Center. The new store will occupy 185,682 square feet with approximately 36,167 square feet devoted to grocery sales.

Besides the Walmart Supercenter, plans call for 10 other retail shops totaling 114,162 square feet, including three other major tenants and four smaller shops as well as a standalone retail building and two to three new restaurants.

The city expects the remainder of the center to develop as companies express interest in leases. In the past, Applebee’s has expressed interest in locating in the center.

Once the Supercenter is finished, the Walmart at Hatch and Mitchell roads will be closed and marketed for another use. City officials expect the building to be offered for non-competing businesses, possibly split into two or more spaces.

A Job Fair was held at the existing Ceres Walmart store on Oct. 2.

Part-time cashiers will be paid $15 per hour, while full-time and part-time food and consumable employees will earn $16 an hour. Pay of $17 per hour is for full- and part-time employees in the meat and produce, deli and bakery, and digital shopper employees as well as the temporary setup team.

Walmart offers competitive pay, 401K, medical, dental and vision benefits, stock options and other benefits to its employees.

Courier Managing Editor Jeff Benziger contributed to this report.