Walmart Canada ups the ante in grocery delivery wars

Walmart Canada has added a weapon to its arsenal in the grocery delivery wars. The big-box retailer is expanding its partnership with Cornershop from five to 14 stores in the Greater Toronto Area.

Cornershop is an on-demand grocery app that delivers orders in as little as 60 minutes. (Walmart Inc. made moves to purchase the app, which operates in Mexico and Chile, for US$225 million but the deal was blocked by Mexican officials earlier this year.)

Here's how it works: The grocery order is placed through the app and items are picked by Cornershop shoppers at one of the participating Walmart stores. Once the order has been filled, Cornershop will call the customer so they can approve any replacements or request additional items be added to the basket before delivery.

Delivery fees are based on the size of the order, with the majority of orders costing between $4.90 and $6.90, according to Cornershop. Delivery on orders more than $40 is free for consumers who pay a $99 yearly subscription fee.

"By introducing more shopping options at Walmart, we're helping make life easier and more convenient without compromising on our everyday low prices. Cornershop and other delivery services are one way that we can provide that easy, convenient access," said Daryl Porter, vice-president, e-commerce operations and logistics at Walmart eCommerce, in a press release announcing the expansion.

Those "other delivery services" include a partnership with Instacart, which is available at nearly 200 stores across Canada. And, in addition to delivery, Walmart offers in-store pickup at 175 locations, expanding to 190 by early next year, and pickup at nine Penguin Pickup locations in the Greater Toronto Area.