Walmart Canada will renovate more than 150 stores over the next three years as part of a major investment that will touch every aspect of its business, reports Chain Store Age. Walmart Canada operates more than 400 stores nationwide.
The $3.5 billion investment is expected to create hundreds of Canadian construction jobs and forge new partnerships with Canadian technology companies.
The retailer announced a $3.5 billion investment to make its in-store and online shopping experience simpler, faster and more convenient. The investment is expected to create hundreds of Canadian construction jobs and forge new partnerships with Canadian technology companies.
The retailer said the investment, spread out during the next five years, will lead to re-invented and “smarter” stores, a faster e-commerce experience, two new distribution centers to speed up product flow, an enhanced omnichannel experience and modern digital tools to ensure employees can best serve customers.
“Today’s significant investment will position us for future growth and make Walmart Canada even better for our associates and our customers,” said Horacio Barbeito, president and CEO, Walmart Canada. “We are doubling down on our focus on the customer experience – not just to keep up but to lead and to be the very best in Canada.”
Walmart Canada's store investments are in in addition to the more than $1 billion it has invested into remodeling and opening stores during the past five years. With the new investment, the company said it will accelerate digitization to create “smarter” stores, including expanded electronic shelf labels, shelf scanners to monitor product volumes, robotics and computer vision cameras to simplify, minimize touches and maximize efficiency and accuracy.
In addition, the retailer will introduce a new checkout experience to reduce touchpoints, including tap-to-pay, new bigger self-checkout and “check out with me” mobile payment technology to allow employees to checkout customers anywhere in the store.