(msn) Retail giant Wal-Mart will open its first Hispanic-focused supermarkets this summer in Arizona and Texas. The stores will feature Spanish speaking staff and new layouts, products, and signage that will be "relevant to local Hispanic customers." The stores, dubbed Supermercado de Walmart, will appear in converted Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market stores in Phoenix and Houston. Separately, the company also plans on converting a Sam's Club warehouse into a Hispanic-themed Más Club. Some of this reflects Wal-Mart's U.S. stores chief Eduardo Castro-Wright's previous experience in the company's Mexican subsidiary. But it also reflects the realization that by 2042, according to the Census Bureau, ethnic and racial minorities will represent a majority of the U.S. population. So instead of apple pies and hamburger buns; get ready for Latino pastries and tortillas. Now that the sales boost from penny-pinching consumers is peaking, it's nice to see the company ramping up capital investment plans in search of new sources of growth. Prior to the recession, the company was focused on revamping existing locations with sushi bars and faux-wood floors. Besides the multi-cultural efforts, Wal-Mart is pushing forward on its Marketside convenience store concept.

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