Walmart Canada to open $118M high-tech fulfillment centre just outside of Calgary
Walmart Canada is investing over $118 million to build a new facility near Calgary, creating an additional delivery hub for customers in western Canada.
Measuring approximately 430,000 square feet, the development brings a high-tech sortable fulfillment centre to 10 Lowes Road in Rocky View County, Alberta.
The retailer announced the facility on Monday, March 21, noting that, with the new fulfillment centre, customers will see better product availability and quicker service, whether they choose to shop in-store or online.
According to a press release, the investment builds on the retailer’s plan to expand, revolutionize, and transform its best-in-class supply chain network while increasing its e-commerce capabilities to better serve Walmart customers.
The new Alberta facility is part of Walmart Canada’s overall $3.5 billion investment to make its online and in-store shopping experience simpler, faster, and more convenient.
“We are tremendously proud to be investing in a new fulfillment centre in the Calgary area that will create jobs, boost the economy and deliver quicker service for our customers,” said Horacio Barbeito, President and CEO, Walmart Canada.
“This modern facility will provide our associates with the latest logistics technology to improve our supply chain,” Barbeito continued. “That means more products available, more orders fulfilled and more Canadians offered two-day shipping. This is how we’re transforming our operations to meet the needs of Albertans and all Canadians.”
The new Walmart facility is slated to open in September 2022, serving as a delivery hub for millions of customer orders in western Canada.
Powered by cutting-edge logistics technology, the fulfillment centre will achieve productivity with less physical effort by using robot technology from GreyOrange. According to the release, this is the first time that this technology is being used for Walmart Canada’s operations.
An advanced operating system will help associates store, pick, and sort items using smart and flexible storage abilities to manage a large and wide variety of inventory at the facility. “The result,” reads the release, “is an order fulfillment process that is quicker, easier and more efficient.”
The fulfillment centre will be capable of storing 500,000 items to fulfill both direct-to-home and in-store pickup orders. It will be able to ship 20 million items annually from the facility to Walmart customers.
The centre is also designed to optimize packaging, minimize waste, and reduce transportation costs, says Walmart Canada.
The new development creates more than 325 new jobs at Walmart Canada, along with construction and engineering jobs. Those interested in jobs at the fulfillment centre can apply at careers.walmart.ca.
Walmart Canada has been serving Albertans since 1994, and it now operates 61 stores and four distribution centres in the province, employing more than 16,000 associates. In 2021, the retailer invested over $50 million to upgrade stores in Alberta.
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