MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA - While retailers continue to expand their footprint, Walmart is furthering its current grasp on the market by investing in its existing stores. Recently, Walmart Canada announced it is investing over $500 million CAD (about $400 million USD) this year in its store network, with a focus on refurbishing and refreshing stores in communities across the country.

“We are on a mission to modernize all aspects of our business, and that includes our stores,” said Horacio Barbeito, President and CEO of Walmart Canada. “Investing in our stores is a major priority. In so many cases, our stores are pillars in the community, and we want them at their best—especially as we serve our customers in more omnichannel ways.”

According to its latest announcement, this is the largest yearly investment in store upgrades Walmart Canada has made as it continues improving the overall customer experience and modernizing the business. The work is expected to create more than 2,000 construction jobs in communities from Prince George, British Columbia to New Minas, Nova Scotia.

After all the work is completed, more than 60 percent of all Walmart Canada stores will be improved by the investment this year.

“When a customer chooses to shop at our stores, we want to do everything we can to ensure they are met with the best and most modern experience possible,” said Sam Wankowski, Chief Operations Officer, Walmart Canada. “We are making a lot of improvements, including digitizing the experience to be more contemporary and creating a more efficient store to serve our customers regardless of how they choose to shop with us.”

These updates are the latest in a series of store investments, building on the retailer’s planned $3.5 billion CAD (about $2.8 billion USD) investment over the next five years to make the online and in-store shopping experience simpler, faster, and more convenient for Walmart customers. The retailer noted in its release that the projects include:

• Upgrading Supercenters
• Upgrading and improving associate lounges
• Enhancing some of its highest e-commerce volume stores with an improved picking space for online orders
• Revamping sales floor layout in select stores
• Walmart Canada’s first automated market fulfillment center inside the Scarborough West Walmart Supercenter
• The Calgary Northland Walmart and the Kitchener Walmart will be converted to Supercenters and will feature an impressive assortment of fresh groceries, general merchandise, and convenient services

As Walmart Canada focuses on elevating its network, the company stated it will also be revisiting its current store strategy.

ANUK will continue to follow the retailer’s trail as the landscape continues to change, so stick around for the latest.

Walmart