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Walmart Canada breaks ground on new fresh/frozen DC

New Brunswick distribution center one of three to open by 2024

Russell Redman

August 20, 2021

2 Min Read
Walmart Canada-Moncton NB DC groundbreaking.jpg
From left: Walmart Canada's John Bayliss, New Brunswick's Arlene Dunn, Walmart Canada's Horacio Barbeito, Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold, New Brunswick's Daniel Allain, Moncton Councillor Greg Turner, Walmart Canada's Kieran Shanahan, and New Brunswick's Ernie Steeves and Bruce Fitch.Walmart Canada

Next year, Walmart Canada plans to open a 223,000-square-foot distribution center for fresh and frozen food in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Mississauga, Ontario-based Walmart Canada broke ground on the new facility — its first Atlantic Canada DC — in a ceremony yesterday at the construction site on 135 Frenette Ave. in Moncton. Due to go into operation in fall 2022, the cold warehouse will provide fresh and frozen groceries to 43 Walmart stores in the region.

Walmart Canada said the “next-generation facility,” announced in April, will bring products closer to its East Coast consumers, improving product availability and speed of service for customers shopping in-store or online.

Plans call for the retailer to invest more than $56 million in the project, part of a $3.5 billion, five-year company growth initiative unveiled in the summer of 2020. That effort includes two other distribution centers under construction: a 300,000-square-foot DC in Surrey, British Columbia, due to open in 2022, and a 550,000-square-foot DC in Vaughan, Ontario, slated to open in 2024. 

Horacio Barbeito-Walmart Canada-Moncton DC groundbreaking.jpg

'Our new distribution center will be a game-changer for our customers, associates and suppliers in Atlantic Canada,

“We are thrilled to be making investments for growth in New Brunswick because we believe there’s a bright future for Walmart Canada in Atlantic Canada,” Horacio Barbeito, president and CEO of Walmart Canada, said in a statement. “This is an exciting time at Walmart Canada, as our new distribution center will be a game-changer for our customers, associates and suppliers in Atlantic Canada. We’re proud to work with local contractors and suppliers to develop a world-class supply chain that puts our customers first while protecting the planet.”

Related:Walmart Canada readies COVID-19 ‘Vax-a-thon’

The Moncton project, sitting on nearly 19 acres of land, will create more than 200 jobs in the city and surrounding communities plus over 100 jobs inside the DC itself.

Walmart Canada noted that the facility will emphasize environmental sustainability via long-haul truck deliveries — removing millions of kilometers from the supply chain annually — as well as through an Energy Star white reflective roof; energy-efficient LED lighting with integrated motion sensors and intelligent controls, natural refrigerants and under-floor heating systems using refrigeration waste heat.

During the last 12 months, Walmart Canada has purchased over $400 million of products from 69 suppliers based in Atlantic Canada, including 22 located in New Brunswick.

"ADL is pleased to see investment in Atlantic Canada,” stated Chad Mann, CEO of Amalgamated Dairies Ltd., based in Prince Edward Island, Canada. "Access to this type of distribution capacity should open up more opportunities for local suppliers.”

Related:Walmart to build first Atlantic Canada distribution center

Overall, Walmart Canada serves more than 1.2 million customers daily via its more than 400 stores, and its Walmart.ca online store is visited by more than 900,000 customers each daily. The company employs over 100,000 associates.

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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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