Walmart creates hybrid Vaughan store to handle more online orders

Grocery pickup expanding to about 270 stores by end of 2020.

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 9, 2020
Simone Joseph

COVID-19 has altered so many areas of our lives: work, home, education and, of course, the grocery shopping experience, too.

In keeping up with customers’ changing habits and demands, Walmart Canada has announced it is investing $110 million in store renovations and technology.

Walmart Canada says it wants to offer customers a faster, safer and simpler shopping experience, whether they choose to shop in-store, pickup at the store or shop online at Walmart.ca.

Walmart is adapting some of its stores to accommodate space for both online delivery and pickup, which will allow employees to pick orders faster and ship them out more quickly.

Walmart has a new hybrid concept store, a relocated store in Vaughan (670 Applewood Cres.) The store serves customers' online demands, and the new store will include:

• A 10,000-square-foot omnichannel fulfilment space within the store -- the largest of any Walmart in Canada.

• The ability to fulfil as many as eight times the online orders of an average Walmart store.

• A large drive-up pickup area, where customers can conveniently park and have their order loaded into their vehicle.

• More efficient and modern technology to support employees.

"The speed of change is being dictated by customer demand and we are deepening our investments in our digital footprint and omnichannel offering more than ever," said Alexis Lanternier, executive vice president e-commerce, Walmart Canada.

WALMART'S OMNICHANNEL ENHANCEMENTS

Hybrid locations: Piloting 10 hybrid locations -- supercentres with expanded omnichannel fulfilment space within their stores to increase the speed of fulfilment for pickup and delivery.

Renovations: More than 130 store renovations over the next few years to make new space for e-commerce, including approximately 19 this year.

Pickup: Expanding Walmart grocery pickup to approximately 270 stores -- or 70 per cent of locations -- by the end of 2020.

Mobile check-in: Rolling out mobile check-in across the country so customers can check in for their grocery orders while on route, making the pickup speed quicker.

Delivery: Reducing the minimum order value from $50 to $35 for free grocery pickup and Walmart grocery delivery (a $9.97 fee).

Hiring: Thousands of new associates are also currently being hired for omnichannel-related roles to meet customer demand.

Third-party partners: Expanding availability of third-party partners, such as Instacart and Cornershop, to be offered in more stores across the country.