Walmart caters to Asian customers with new departments

At the Walmart store in Scarborough, the supercentre became the first outlet in Canada to test out departments geared to its large Asian clientele.

A Toronto Star article said that the location near Steeles Ave. and Markham Rd. houses an Asian bakery, fish market and butcher where the store’s largely Asian consumers (some 40 per cent) can purchase specialty items used in many Asian dishes such as pig snout and chicken feet.

This store is part of Walmart’s “store of the community program,” launched in 2006 that features tailoring merchandise according to the cultural background of the customers who shop there.

“We’re very excited and proud to bring beautiful, authentic and quality food to the Asian community at everyday low prices,” said Jim Pilkington, regional director for the “store of the community” program in the Star.

Other interesting features of the store include live fish in tanks, as well as lobster and crab steaming, and a bakery (run by downtown Chinese bakery Furama) that makes almond cookies and coconut twists.

To commemorate the two-week long Lunar New Year festivities, three-metre-long dragons and red Chinese lanterns decorate the ceiling t while signage is also in Chinese.