Times staff report

MICHIGAN CITY | Wal-Mart opened a new Supercenter Wednesday that replaces an 18-year-old location here.

The new store at 5780 S. Franklin St. is about 72,000 square feet larger than the location it is replacing. It is adding a multitude of new products, a full line of groceries, services and conveniences for shoppers, the company said.

The store also has a tire and lubrication facility, a vision center, a pharmacy with two drive-through lanes, an expanded lawn and garden center, a one-hour photo lab, and an expanded electronics and home entertainment department. It has additional leased space and services that include a SmartStyle Family Hair Salon, a branch of Woodforest Bank and a Subway restaurant.

The store will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"This is a great day for our store and our customers," store manager Shanon Thiel said. "Our relocation gives us the opportunity to better serve our customers as a one-stop shopping destination."