Walmart Canada opens first high-tech fulfillment centre in Western Canada in Rocky View County, Alberta

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Walmart Canada Corp.

Jun 28, 2023, 18:48 ET

  • A more than $100 million investment, creating hundreds of jobs
  • Western Canada delivery hub, expanding 2-day shipping
  • Walmart Canada President and CEO, Gonzalo Gebara, MP George Chahal, MP Blake Richards, Minister Ric McIver, MLA Angela Pitt, and Rocky View County Reeve Crystal Kissel officially opened the facility

MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 28, 2023 /CNW/ - Walmart Canada's first high-tech fulfillment centre in Rocky View County, Alberta, a 430,000-sq.-ft. facility, has officially opened, serving as a delivery hub for millions of orders for Walmart's Western Canada customers, bringing Walmart's 2-day shipping to 97 per cent of Canadian households.

This facility represents a more than $100 million investment, creating hundreds of jobs related to both the construction and ongoing operation of the new fulfillment centre.

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Walmart Canada's Rocky View County Fulfillment Centre will also store thousands of items available on Walmart.ca. It's capable of shipping 20 million items annually from the facility directly to customers and can handle up to 500,000 unique items to fulfil direct to home and ship-to-store pickup orders.

The agile space will also fulfil orders for Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), Walmart's end-to-end fulfillment service for the retailer's third-party e-commerce sellers, including larger, non-conveyable items, like large patio items, for the first time. Customers ordering items from Marketplace sellers who leverage the WFS service will benefit from faster shipping speeds and improved product availability.

Leading-edge logistics technology

This modern facility is powered by cutting-edge logistics technology to achieve more productivity with less physical effort and deliver orders faster. Some of the innovations within the facility include:

  • Goods-to-person robotics help associates store, pick and sort items with a high degree of accuracy, speeding up the fulfillment process.
  • Three types of robotic technology assist associates with tasks within the facility.
  • Smart and flexible storage manages a large and wide variety of inventory, improving availability for customers and allowing the facility to adapt to customers' needs.
  • Technology-enhanced inbound receiving allows associates to introduce items to the mobile storage units more quickly, with items available for purchase on Walmart.ca in as fast as 15 minutes once entered into the system.
  • Auto-boxing technology helps to optimize packaging and minimize waste by building a custom-sized box for each order, resulting in more efficiently-packed trailers.

"We're on a transformational journey to modernize our supply chain and today's grand opening marks a major milestone for Walmart Canada," said Gonzalo Gebara, President and CEO, Walmart Canada. "Walmart Canada is an omnichannel retailer, people-led and tech-powered. We're providing our supply chain associates with modern logistics technology to fulfill orders at exceptional speed. Every day, we're enhancing our supply chain network. It's a very exciting time at Walmart Canada."

"Time is the modern currency and we are more committed than ever to provide faster delivery," said Patricio Dallan, Senior Vice President, Omni Supply Chain, Walmart Canada. "This new fulfillment centre is a game-changer. We're working hard every day, testing, learning and scaling technology in our omni supply chain operations to exceed customer expectations and provide a more seamless shopping experience."

The Rocky View County Fulfillment Centre is part of Walmart Canada's larger $3.5 billion investment to revolutionize its best-in-class supply chain network and increase its e-commerce capabilities.

Supporting local suppliers

Walmart Canada proudly works with close to 2,000 Canadian suppliers, big and small. Walmart Canada bought approximately $220 million worth of products from more than 40 suppliers located in Alberta in a recent 12-month period, a number the retailer hopes to continue to grow. Walmart Canada is proud to support local suppliers, helping create more local jobs and giving customers more choices.

Commitment to the community

Walmart celebrated its commitment to the Rocky View County community by proudly presenting $10,000 to Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) to help homeless animals in communities across Alberta and provide community support programs to address the root causes of animal overpopulation and homelessness and $10,000 to Dashmesh Culture Centre supporting their No Hungry Tummy Program, which provides hot meals on-the-go to families in need.

"Alberta's economy keeps moving forward thanks to investments like this one, from Walmart Canada. The opening of their new high-tech fulfillment centre means more jobs for Albertans, increased opportunities for Alberta retailers, and streamlined service for Western Canadian customers. Walmart Canada is already proving to be a good neighbour through their support for local community programs, and I look forward to continuing to work together." – Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta

"We are delighted to welcome Walmart Canada's new high-tech fulfillment centre to Rocky View County. This state-of-the-art facility will continue to drive economic growth and create numerous job opportunities in our region. As we work together to build a brighter future, this investment is a testament to the confidence Walmart has in our community's potential to support their expansion in Western Canada." – Crystal Kissell, Reeve of Rocky View County

"This is an incredible day for our associates and for Walmart Canada," said Brett Calder, General Manager at the Walmart Rocky View County Fulfillment Centre. "There's never been a better time to join Walmart Canada's supply chain. We're teaching new skills, creating jobs of the future and helping build careers. The positive energy and engagement that all our associates bring to work each day makes me proud to lead and be part of this fantastic Walmart team."

Facts about Walmart in Alberta
  • Walmart Canada has been proudly serving Albertans since 1994.
  • Alberta is a key province for Walmart with 59 stores, four distribution centres and a new fulfillment centre employing more than 16,000 associates.
  • Walmart Canada is investing more than $100 million in store upgrades in the province over a two-year period to improve the customer shopping experience.
About Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, Walmart.ca, is visited by more than 1.5 million customers daily. With more than 100,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada was recently recognized as a LinkedIn Top Company of 2022 and was also named one of Canada's most popular brands (based on Google searches). Walmart Canada has made a commitment to regeneration – focusing on equitable opportunity, sustainability, community, ethics and integrity. Since 1994, Walmart Canada has raised over $650 million to support communities across Canada. Additional information can be found at walmartcanada.ca and on Walmart Canada's social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Walmart Canada Corp.

Sarah Kennedy, Walmart Canada, [email protected]

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Walmart Canada Corp.