Walmart Canada celebrates 30th anniversary

It was one of the first stores to welcome customers on day one of Walmart’s expansion into Canada in 1994 and today, 30 years later, the Square One Walmart Supercentre in Mississauga is celebrating its grand re-opening as the retailer’s flagship location

I came from India to Canada alone, with all my basic needs packed in two luggage bags and a thousand dreams in my eyes, but no idea how I would get there. Luckily, with the support of my family, Walmart Canada and all of the helpful people I met along my journey, I was able to get to where I am today.

After moving from Newfoundland to Ontario, Nicole Lockyer-Hillier didn’t know what her future held. Her weekly shopping trip to Woolco in April 1993 would change that.

While Walmart Canada is celebrating its 30th birthday in 2024, Dave Wendt is celebrating his 47th year with the company. That’s because he started at Woolco Canada on June 15, 1977. And in 1994, Woolco was purchased by Walmart.

Every morning, Andrew Gugula wakes up thinking about snacks. That’s because a typical day in the life of a product developer at Walmart Canada includes tasting any number of delicious foods – from salty snacks, sweet and savory biscuits, cookies, crackers, and shelf-stable beverages.

“I guess I must’ve got to someone’s heart,” Walmart Canada associate, Sharon Richards said with tears in her eyes after reading a message left by a family she helped following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Many Quebecers are familiar with the phrase “La madame était contente”, a phrase so engrained in the province’s social fabric that few remember where it came from. Thirty years ago, it was shared for the first time in Walmart Canada’s first TV commercial introducing the retailer to Quebec.

Children's Miracle Network has launched its 30th annual spring fundraising campaign with Walmart Canada in support of Canada's kids, families, and their local children's hospitals. From May 9 to June 2, Canadians are invited to participate by donating in-store or online at Walmart.ca. Donations made in-store during the campaign by Walmart customers and associates stay local to support the children's hospitals in their community.

Giancarlo Copoccini can easily pinpoint the inspiration behind his 18-year career with Walmart Canada – his mother! Mina Copoccini has been with the company for “43 wonderful years” as she proudly describes it and her son, Giancarlo aspires to achieve just as many years of service with Walmart.

Walmart Canada’s annual spring fundraising campaign for Children’s Miracle Network raised $7 million to benefit children’s hospitals across Canada. The campaign, which ran from May 9 to June 2, reflects the remarkable generosity of Walmart’s associates and customers.

Walmart Canada’s Yellowknife store has been proudly serving the north for 30 years. Nestled in the heart of the Northwest Territories, with fewer than 100 associates and a unique customer base, the Yellowknife Walmart is a small store with a big reach.

Thirty years ago, Kevin Raymond was one of the 100-plus original Store Managers when Walmart purchased Woolco. He took the helm of Store 3038 in Hinton, Alberta in 1994 as his first store with the retailer. Today, his son Nolan is following in his footsteps in the exact same store.

Since 1994, Walmart Canada has been there for Canadians as more than just a retailer. Together with our associates, customers and suppliers, Walmart Canada has raised and donated more than $750 million to Canadian charities and non-profits, providing much-needed funds and resources, supporting their commitment to making a difference.

Walmart Canada celebrates 30 years of bringing every day low prices to Canadians

In celebration of our 30th anniversary in Canada, Walmart Canada is sponsoring the planting of 30,000 trees in rural areas across Canada, including several impacted by wildfires.

After 30 years working for Walmart (and 15 years for Woolco before that), Valdimar Johnson has no plans to retire anytime soon. The store manager at Store 3177 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is something of a legend in his community. If you were to walk the store with him, you would probably be stopped often by customers who just want to say hello.

More than 20 years ago, Walmart Canada opened its Whitehorse Walmart Supercentre. Since opening in 2001, the Whitehorse store has been a significant addition to the local community – and some might say it sparked a retail boom in the Yukon’s capital.