Vancouver, BC, February 21, 2018 – Walmart Canada and Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery (SPUD) announced today an agreement to offer SPUD’s food delivery platform, Food-X Urban Delivery Inc. (Food-X), to Walmart.ca customers in Metro Vancouver. Food-X helps Walmart fulfill last mile home delivery and — through shared warehousing and consolidation of orders — reduces waste, truck trips and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Walmart Canada will begin using the Food-X warehouse and delivery platform for online grocery shopping deliveries for Vancouver-area Walmart.ca customers in summer 2018.
“Consumer demand for online grocery shopping is growing and that means more trucks on the road.” said Peter van Stolk, CEO at SPUD. “We have built a best-in-class platform to get food from the supplier to the kitchen while reducing waste, lowering emissions and lowering cost. Now we’re offering Food-X to other companies who share a commitment to sustainability, efficiency and strong customer service.”
Food-X comprises of a soon-to-be completed 74,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art warehouse with proprietary technology SPUD has been refining for the past 20 years, providing SPUD customers in the Vancouver-area with local, healthy food and produce. The facility will also have several bio-digesters used to compost meat, produce, and compostable packaging. Food-X is part of the larger SPUD ecosystem that includes home delivery, small store retail, commissary/food preparation services and distribution. SPUD will continue to operate its facility on East Hastings and SPUD customers will continue to benefit from a world class online grocery service.
This agreement also expands on Walmart Canada’s commitment to make grocery shopping easier for customers in urban centres like Vancouver – where there may not be convenient access to a Walmart Supercentre – and for customers who prefer to shop online.
“We are always looking for new ways to offer convenience and choice to our customers so they can shop when they want and how they want at Walmart’s unbeatable prices,” said Lee Tappenden, CEO and President at Walmart Canada. “Our strategic collaboration with Food-X allows us to serve customers in the heart of Vancouver in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.”
When the service is up and running in summer 2018, Walmart customers will shop online at www.walmart.ca for Walmart products at Walmart’s low prices every day – all backed by a 100% satisfaction money-back guarantee. Product assortment will include fresh groceries, including fruits and vegetables, 100% Canadian AAA Angus beef, pork and chicken and seafood, dairy, baked goods, deli and frozen foods. Customers will also have a selection of organic items to choose from. A Food-X truck will deliver groceries directly to customer’s home, as early as next-day.
About Food-X Urban Delivery Inc.
Food-X Urban Delivery Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery Inc. (SPUD). Founded in 1997 in Vancouver, SPUD has expanded into one of the largest online grocery companies in Canada, employing over 600 people across all its markets delivering fresh, local, organic produce and groceries. With a mission of changing the world one bite at a time and passion for a sustainable food system, SPUD’s goal is to use its connection to local and organic food to help improve the places where we live and work. From this vision, Be Fresh Local Market was proudly cultivated by SPUD, with the first store opening in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood in 2015. Be Fresh currently serves five local communities in Vancouver. In 2017, Blush Lane Organic Market joined the SPUD family supporting Edmonton and Calgary across five locations. SPUD is a leader in Western Canada's local and organic food movement. For more information, visit www.foodx.ca.
About Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of 410 stores nationwide serving more than 1.2 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, www.walmart.ca, is visited by 600,000 customers daily. With more than 85,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada's extensive philanthropy program is focused on supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart has raised and donated more than $300 million to Canadian charities. Additional information can be found at walmartcanada.ca, facebook.com/walmartcanada and at twitter.com/walmartcanada.
