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Walmart Canada kicks off 30-minute delivery via Instacart

Pilot of Walmart Now service under way in greater Toronto area

Russell Redman

June 23, 2022

3 Min Read
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Described as a “virtual convenience” store, Walmart Now is driven by the Carrot Storefront solution in the Instacart Platform e-commerce suite, with fulfillment handled by 10 area Walmart stores.Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada has launched Walmart Now, an Instacart-powered rapid delivery service for grocery and convenience items.

Under a pilot in the greater Toronto area, customers can place online orders and receive their goods in as soon as 30 minutes, Mississauga, Ontario-based Walmart Canada said Friday. Described as a “virtual convenience” store, Walmart Now is driven by the Carrot Storefront solution in the Instacart Platform e-commerce suite, with fulfillment handled by participating Walmart stores.

Walmart Canada said nearly 4,000 of its most-shopped items are available to customers via Walmart Now, including fresh groceries, pantry items, snacks, and household staples like pet, baby and personal care items, among other categories. Products are picked and delivered from 10 Walmart stores in the Toronto area.

Walmart Now rapid delivery service-Walmart Canada-Instacart Convenience Hub.jpg

Walmart Now is accessed directly at a Walmart-branded landing page in the Instacart Convenience Hub, as well as through Walmart.ca.

“Launching Walmart Now, our new Canadian convenience offering featuring our quickest delivery speeds, is proof that Walmart Canada is here to drive change in the e-commerce space,” Laurent Duray, chief e-commerce officer at Walmart Canada, said in a statement. “We’re nimble, we’re determined and we’re here to change the way Canadians shop online with Walmart. Piloting 30-minute delivery is a milestone in our road map to making it faster, easier and more convenient than ever to shop with us.”

Related:Walmart Canada woos downtown Toronto online customers

Walmart Now is accessed directly at a Walmart-branded landing page in the Instacart Convenience Hub, where consumers also can find Walmart via search, as well as through Walmart.ca. Instacart unveiled the Convenience Hub last September in tandem with The Kroger Co., which launched a 30-minute delivery service dubbed Kroger Delivery Now. Instacart also rolled out 24/7 delivery at selected retail partners with stores open 24 hours or extended hours.

San Francisco-based Instacart noted that it has partnered with Walmart Canada since 2018 and provides grocery delivery in as soon as an hour from more than 250 Walmart Canada stores nationwide via the Instacart App and Walmart.ca, powered by Carrot Connect. Overall, Walmart Canada operates more than 400 stores across the country, and its website is visited by over 1.5 million customers daily.

Walmart Now will be accessible to about 40% of greater Toronto area households through the pilot, the companies said.

“We’re proud to grow our relationship with Walmart Canada to launch Walmart Now, a streamlined way for Canadian customers to access the groceries and goods they need from Walmart in as fast as 30-minutes,” commented Chris Rogers, vice president of retail at Instacart. “Customers today expect convenience and quick delivery paired with broad selection. We know these components are fundamental as retailers seek to build the best online grocery experience for their customers. By collaborating with leading retailers like Walmart and providing Instacart Platform solutions that are purpose-built for grocery, we’re making it easier for retailers to get customers exactly what they need, when they need it.”

Related:Walmart Canada promotes three execs to C-suite

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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