Walmart Canada will be investing $175 million to upgrade its network of stores with dedicated features and improvements to enhance the overall customer experience. Several stores across the country will be refurbished or updated to provide a comprehensive omni-channel experience featuring a seamless intersection of the in-store and online shopping experience.
Twenty-three Walmart stores across the country are set for renovation before February 2019, creating more than 2,500 construction jobs.
“Walmart Canada is committed to helping Canadians shop when they want, how they want and where they want,” said Lee Tappenden, president and CEO of Walmart Canada. “As we move into 2019, we’ll continue to invest in more store remodels, including new and creative concepts in key urban stores.”
Enhancements customers can expect to see in their local stores include:
- Contemporary updates: Physical updates that provide a refreshed look and feel including wider aisles, updated colour palette, new signage, and, in some stores, an updated exterior store front design to provide clearer access.
- Optimized omni-channel experience: Creating seamless integration of online shopping and in-store experience for omni-channel customers. Updated features include dedicated parking spaces for online grocery pickup and new areas in stores devoted to online orders to help facilitate the interaction between Walmart Canada’s ecommerce and bricks and mortar operations.
- Expanded assortment: Adding more product assortments to further integrate stores into the community including new ethnic selections and organics.
In July the company announced another $175 million spend on a new warehouse in Surrey, B.C. The retailer said construction on the new fulfullment centre will start in 2021 and employ about 300 workers over the 14- to 18-month construction period.
Walmart Canada opened a new Supercentre in Burnaby, B.C. on October 11, 2018.