Wal-Mart Canada to open 40 supercentres

Wal-Mart Canada plans to open 40 new supercentres in the coming fiscal year, a move the company says could generate more than 9,200 store and construction jobs.

The retail giant says it will open the new Canadian supercentres — which combine groceries and general merchandise under one roof — in its upcoming fiscal year starting Feb. 1.

The company says it will invest roughly $500 million Cdn in the expansion, which will involve building some new locations and renovating and relocating some existing stores.

The location of all the new stores has not yet been announced, but the company confirmed it would be introducing the extra-large stores in Manitoba and Quebec for the first time.

Wal-Mart Canada spokeswoman Susan Schutta said three Winnipeg stores would be converted into supercentres:

• Winnipeg South at St Mary's Road and Bishop Grandin Boulevard.
• Winnipeg Central at Empress Street and Ellice Avenue,
• Winnipeg West at Portage Avenue at Buchanan Boulevard.

Wal-Mart opened its first Canadian supercentre in Ontario in 2006, and the format has since expanded to Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan.

"Our customers tell us they appreciate our supercentre format and the convenient one-stop shopping experience it provides," Schutta said.

At the end of this month, Wal-Mart will have 325 stores, including 124 supercentres.

Earlier this month, U.S. retailer Target said it was buying the store leases of Canadian retail chain Zellers for $1.8 billion.