Walmart Canada adds to Marketplace grocery roster

Walmart Canada continues to add to its roster of third-party grocery sellers on the online Walmart Canada Marketplace, announcing this week it has now surpassed 175 companies.

Canadians can now add more than 20,000 new grocery items to their online order on Walmart.ca, ranging from “enhanced international offerings” to new varieties of sparkling water.

Walmart Canada said expansion of its Marketplace’s grocery offering had been “rapid,” with the retailer more than doubling the number of sellers between January and June. Grocery orders are six times greater this year than they were last year, while the average order size has also grown, the company said.

Walmart Canada's vice-president of digital platforms and Marketplace Daniel Farmer said the expansion of its third-party offering was “only the start” of its ambition to provide an enhanced grocery shopping experience. It might even be possible for Canadians to one day order fresh east coast lobster on Walmart.ca, he added.

“Offering our customers more choice is at the core of our business, and that extends to our new Marketplace Grocery offering,” said Farmer in a release. “At the same time, we’re enabling local Canadian companies and brands to reach our customers in an increasingly competitive e-commerce environment.”

The new additions to the Marketplace’s grocery options include PlantX, a company specializing in plant-based food items ranging from chips and snacks to natural and organic baking needs; Mr. Case, which offers beverage brands such as Flow Water and Fever Tree; Three Farmers Foods, a Saskatchewan company specializing in sustainably grown snacks such as roasted chickpeas, peas and lentils; and Montreal-based Yupik, which specializes in bulk format ingredients and snacks including nuts, dried fruits, chocolates and cooking products.

Walmart Canada launched Marketplace in 2017 in a bid to strengthen its online presence. It started with just 27 sellers, and has since grown to more than 4,000 sellers offering more than 28 million items.

Walmart Canada continues to enlist brands to have their products offered on Marketplace, stipulating that all eligible sellers have a physical location in the country.