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Walmart Canada debuts urban supercenter format

New prototype brings more food, e-commerce and licensed shops

Russell Redman

May 30, 2019

3 Min Read
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Food, e-commerce and store-within-a-store concepts take center stage in a new “urban supercenter” format from Walmart Canada.

Unveiled yesterday at Walmart’s 139,000-square-foot store in Toronto’s Stockyards neighborhood, the new supercenter blends an omnichannel shopping experience with enhanced grocery and foodservice offerings, third-party licensed shops, a new quick checkout service called Fast Lane, an updated product assortment, and a store design and layout geared toward urban consumers.

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Walmart Canada President and CEO Lee Tappenden addresses the crowd at the grand reopening.

"With our new urban supercenter concept, we're continuing to position ourselves as a leader in store design and retail innovation," Walmart Canada President and CEO Lee Tappenden said in a statement. "We're introducing new partners, testing new and innovative technologies, integrating e-commerce with bricks-and-mortar and updating our assortment to improve the customer shopping experience and to appeal more to young families in urban markets."

Renamed Fresh Market, the grocery department has been redesigned to include more theater lighting and a wood-panel wall treatment for a market look and feel, Walmart Canada said. The section offers fresh fruit and vegetables, including organic items, plus 100% Canadian beef, chicken, pork and seafood.

Related:Walmart to upgrade more Canadian stores

Licensed merchants in the Stockyards store include several food vendors — fast-casual restaurant chain Freshii, Naoki Sushi and a newly renovated McDonald's — along with The Party Shop, The UPS Store and Chinese variety store retailer Miniso. In late February, Toronto-based Freshii had announced plans to roll out a selection of better-for-you salads, wraps, lunch kits, snacks and cold-pressed juices at 100 Walmart Canada stores.

With the expanded foodservice, the Stockyards Walmart houses a seating area where customers can eat meals and sit with friends and family. There’s also a community board featuring local news, activities and events.

Walmart Canada noted that the new supercenter prototype introduces Fast Lane, a feature that enables customers to use the My Walmart app on their smartphone to shop and complete their transaction quickly and seamlessly by exiting the store through a dedicated checkout lane. When ready to check out, shoppers walk into the Fast Lane, scan the app barcode for their order (which is charged to their credit card on file) and show the receipt on their phone to the Fast Lane associate.

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Fast_Lane_Walmart_Canada_Toronto_Stockyards.pngAlso on the omnichannel front, the Stockyards Walmart includes a dedicated Walmart.ca section, in which customers can see and shop for extended-aisle products and talk with associates who can answer questions and assist with online orders. Walmart said the area will be used to host online vendor pop-up shops as well. To support the e-commerce enhancements, the store offers expanded and improved pickup areas plus new associate positions focused on customer service, including online grocery and general merchandise pickup.

Related:Walmart Canada adds Freshii meals and snacks

Several innovations from previous Walmart Canada prototypes also have been integrated into the urban supercenter concept, including improvements to product displays, signage and floor plans, the company added. 

"Our new concept is a symbol of what's to come in retail and demonstrates our vision for helping Canadians save money and live better, now and in the future," Tappenden stated.

Plans call for a second supercenter concept to launch in Thornhill, Ontario, next year, and best practices from new-format stores will be incorporated into future remodels, according to Walmart Canada.

Earlier this month, Walmart Canada said it aims to renovate and/or refresh 31 stores — including conversions to the Supercenter format — as part of a $200 million investment in its retail network. The project involves 17 locations in Ontario, five in Alberta, three in Quebec, two in British Columbia, two in Manitoba, one in Newfoundland and one in Saskatchewan.

Over the last five years, Walmart has invested more than $1 billion in its Canadian store network, including a $175 million plan to upgrade 23 stores in its last fiscal year. Mississauga, Ontario-based Walmart Canada operates about 410 stores overall.

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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