Walmart Canada invests in cutting-edge technologies and innovations

Twelve distribution centres, 270 tractors, 3,900 trailers and 500 drivers travelling over 38 million kilometres each year – that’s what it takes to get products to its more than 400 stores across the country. Its e-commerce site, Walmart.ca, is visited by more than 1.5 million Canadians daily, who can choose from millions of items sold by Walmart and third-party sellers to fit their needs.

New high-tech and sustainable grocery distribution centre in Surrey, B.C.

In April 2022, Walmart Canada opened its most advanced grocery distribution centre in Surrey, British Columbia. The 300,000 square foot, $175 million state-of-the-art facility is part of Walmart Canada’s $3.5 billion investment to generate significant growth and speed up the flow of products through the company’s supply chain across Canada.

“This is only the start for what Canadians can expect from Walmart: we’re transforming how we enable our supply chain and associates with leading-edge technologies and innovations,” John Bayliss, executive vice president, chief transformation officer, Walmart Canada.

The Surrey Grocery Distribution Centre will provide ambient (pantry items), fresh and frozen grocery goods to 45 Walmart stores in British Columbia. Distribution through the facility will reduce the company’s long-haul trips from Alberta and directly reduce its carbon footprint, supporting Walmart’s journey to becoming a regenerative company.

This modern facility was built vertically, using about half of the land mass that would be required for a traditional equivalent facility, and directly reducing its overall carbon footprint. Cutting-edge technology will make it possible to complete as many as 150,000 order picks per day, improving the efficiency and speed of distribution while requiring less physical effort from associates.

The first major Canadian retailer to offer carbon-neutral last-mile delivery

In its first year, this Walmart-funded programme will offset an estimated 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking over 5,000 cars off the road. Walmart has engaged EcoCart, a sustainability technology company, to calculate and validate the emissions created from online orders and to purchase carbon offset credits from high-quality projects in the exact dollar amount required to reduce or avoid those emissions.