Walmart teams with SkipTheDishes to expand Walmart Now rapid delivery pilot

SkipTheDishes has launched a rapid delivery pilot with Walmart Canada within Vancouver and Edmonton.

The pilot leverages “dark stores” (local Skip fulfillment centres) to offer customers more than 2,000 grocery and everyday essentials in 30 minutes or less. These dark stores are equipped to process several orders per minute during peak demand.

"Expanding our Walmart Now pilot to Western Canada is an example of how we're testing and learning to provide better, faster and more convenient service to our customers", said Laurent Duray, chief e-commerce officer, Walmart Canada, in a statement. 

Walmart Now first launched in June 2022 with a pilot in the Greater Toronto Area offering delivery from select Walmart Canada stores in as little as 30 minutes. 

The Skip partnership marks the first time Walmart Canada has leveraged dark stores for delivery.

"We are thrilled to have such an iconic brand like Walmart Canada join the network," said Steve Puchala, interim CEO, SkipTheDishes, in a statement. "We're proud to mark a new phase in rapid grocery delivery, providing Canadians with more value through offering a curated selection of products including meat, poultry, bakery and local offerings delivered right to their doorstep in collaboration with Walmart Canada."