Wal-Mart to Open More Sam's Club Stores in Canada

ONTARIO, Canada - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Friday announced plans to expand its presence in the Canadian market, saying it will spend $100 million to open as many as six Sam's Club warehouse-type stores in Ontario, The Globe and Mail reports.

"The Clubs will cater specifically to the needs of Canadian small-business operators and consumers, including those who like to purchase larger-pack sizes of merchandise and food, at wholesale prices," the company said in a statement Friday.

The 100,000-square-foot standalone outlets will open their doors next fall.

Wal-Mart will be in direct competition with the only other warehouse-retailer in town: Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., a division of Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco Wholesale Corp.

Wal-Mart first entered Canada in 1994, changing the retail landscape with its streamlined operations, technological know-how and value pricing.

The first phase of the Sam's Club launch will bring about 1,000 permanent jobs and 1,200 construction jobs, the company said. It did not elaborate on what the second phase will entail.

Sam's Club was launched in 1983 and currently operates nearly 600 outlets scattered throughout the United States, Mexico, Brazil, China and Puerto Rico.
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