Walmart to open up to 40 supercenters in Canada

-- Home Textiles Today, 2/25/2010 12:49:00 PM

Mississauga, Ontario - Walmart Canada plans to open 35 to 40 Supercenters this year across the country, as well as a refrigerated distribution center to service these food-and-general merchandise stores.

The company said it will announce specific locations “over the coming weeks and months.”

The effort will bring the Walmart Canada store count up to approximately 325 stores by the end of 2010, including 124 “supercentres” and 201 discount stores, the company noted. The chain currently operates 317 units.

The refrigerated DC is planned for a fall opening in Balzac, Alberta; construction investment is pegged at $115 million. The company stressed that this DC will be “an estimated 60% more energy-efficient than Walmart’s traditional refrigerated distribution centres.” New stores, meanwhile are about 30% more energy-efficient than previous models, Walmart said.