25 Facts About Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada is the Canadian subsidiary of Walmart which is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario.

Walmart Canada was established on January 14,1994 through the acquisition by Walmart of 122 Canadian leases of Woolco, a troubled subsidiary of Woolworth Canada.

All 16,000 former employees of the Woolco stores that Walmart Canada acquired were retained, retrained, and given a five percent raise.

Since 1994, many of the shopping centres in which Walmart Canada is located have been developed by SmartCentres, a real estate company founded by Mitchell Goldhar.

Walmart Canada operated Sam's Club stores in Ontario from 2003 to 2009.

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In 2011, Walmart Canada acquired the leases of 39 Zellers stores from Target, originally one of the 189 leaseholds purchased from Hudson's Bay Company and slated for conversion to Target Canada stores.

Walmart Canada managed to convert and reopen some of the former Zellers stores before Target Canada's launch.

On May 8,2015, following the bankruptcy of Target Canada, Walmart Canada announced its intent to acquire 13 former Target locations, along with its distribution centre in Cornwall, Ontario subject to court approval.

In September 2018, Walmart Canada began offering same-day delivery at some of its locations through a partnership with Instacart.

On March 15,2021, Walmart Canada announced that it would close six stores and spend over $500 million to renovate over 60 percent of its stores over the next five years.

On July 24,2009, Walmart Canada Bank was incorporated under the Bank Act in Canada.

Walmart Canada operated Sam's Club warehouse clubs in Ontario from 2006 to 2009.

Some industry observers suggested that the Canadian Sam's Club never enjoyed the success of its American counterpart due to competition with Costco and the non-membership the Real Canadian Superstore, as both chains that had a well-established history in Walmart Canada while Sam's Club was a late entrant.

That same year, Walmart Canada confirmed that it was in discussions with home improvement chain Lowe's to take over five of the six Sam's Club locations.

Walmart Canada has been criticized for using low prices to drive out rivals and local businesses.

The continued difficulties of competing against Walmart Canada eventually led to HBC selling the leases of most Zellers stores to Target Canada, who went out of business.

Walmart Canada has been accused of undermining internet rights and freedom of speech, as a result of its June 2009 decision to seek an injunction against the Walmart Workers Canada campaign and its longstanding Walmart Workers Canada website in particular, a labour rights website sponsored by United Food and Commercial Workers Union Canada.

In Saskatchewan, Walmart Canada fought unionization drivers at stores in Weyburn and North Battleford.

Walmart Canada has responded, mostly by shutting down unionized stores or stalling labour contract negotiations.

However, nine days of negotiation between the UFCW and Wal-Mart were fruitless, with the union accusing the company of not negotiating in good faith while Walmart Canada argued that the union wanted the store to hire an additional 30 workers.

Walmart Canada closed the store five months later because the company did not approve of the new "business plan" a union would require, and this move was permitted by Quebec law as long as the closure was permanent.

In September 2005, the Quebec Labour Board ruled that the closing of a Walmart Canada store amounted to a reprisal against unionized workers and has ordered additional hearings on possible compensation for the employees, though it offered no details.

Union organizers suggested that Walmart Canada was making an example of the Jonquiere store to pressure workers at other locations not to unionize.

In 2011, the Saint-Hyacinthe Walmart Canada employees voted to decertify United Food and Commercial Workers as their representative union; it has been suggested that employees were disappointed in their union whose 2009 contract was tilted strongly in favour of their employer.

Walmart Canada's shutdown was followed shortly after by other companies suspending their photo site whilst an investigation took place.

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