Walmart WMT Canada announced it will invest approximately $1 billion over the next year to update its stores, transform its store infrastructure and customer experience, and unveil its “Store of the Future.”
The capital expenditure, part of a five-year, $3.5 billion transformation program first announced by Walmart Canada in July 2020, expands Walmart Canada’s fulfillment network and strengthens its online offerings, with more than 400 locations across the United States. It is also used to support online offerings in stores.
Improvements are already underway at the company’s largest store in Canada, the Square One Walmart Supercenter in Mississauga, Ont., and the company said the flagship store will be a testbed for Walmart’s omnichannel retail innovations. Ta.
Changes at the store include a revamped electronics department where traditional display cases have been replaced with open shelving to help consumers interact with products, real-time inventory status displays, and QR code ordering by Walmart associates for in-store delivery. included.
Square One will also include Walmart Canada’s first Health Hub, which the retailer says will bring together a pharmacy, vision center and medical clinic, creating what it calls a one-stop shop for health and wellness. and the company’s new pharmacy app. .
Walmart store modernization
Walmart Canada also plans to upgrade 55 stores across the country over the next year, 20 of which will undergo major renovations. Enhancements to the store include larger production areas with expanded product assortments, more space for employees to prepare customer orders, and clearer aisle markings.
In August, the retailer also opened a brand new 140,000 square foot supercenter at the Marché Central Shopping Center in Montreal, Quebec.
This investment will support new distribution facilities in Alberta, including the Rocky View County Fulfillment Center, which opens in June 2023. This facility can ship up to 20 million items per year directly to customers.
Additional efforts to improve customers’ online shopping experience include Delivery Pass, which offers unlimited free next-day shipping through a subscription program.
Walmart Canada announced in October that it had partnered with Klarna to bring flexible BNPL (buy now, pay later) payment methods to customers shopping online. This service is available at checkout at Walmart.ca and through the Walmart Canada and Klarna mobile apps.
sam’s club distribution
Sam’s Club, Walmart’s members-only club division, announced late last month that it plans to open two new distribution centers in the U.S. in early 2024 in suburban St. Louis and Minneapolis. The new facility is part of a multi-year growth plan to transform Sam’s Club’s supply chain. The new distribution center will provide Sam’s Club members with a better shopping experience with increased speed and availability of products both in the club and online.
The first facility is scheduled to open in January 2024 in the greater St. Louis area (Edwardsville, Illinois). The 370,000 square foot facility will serve as a distribution and fulfillment center.
The Shakopee, Minnesota, facility will serve as a multi-purpose distribution center. The 365,000 square foot facility is scheduled to open in March 2024.
The announcement comes after Sam’s Club opened a new distribution center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and also shared plans to open a new fulfillment center in Lithia Springs, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta).
follow me twitter Or LinkedIn. check out my website.