Walmart, Costco Finally Sign On to Canadian Grocery Code of Conduct

All of Canada’s major retailers have now signed on to the country’s grocery code of conduct, following the endorsement of Walmart and Costco Wholesale Corp. 

A statement from Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers said, "After years of work and widespread industry participation, we are pleased to announce that all major retailers have agreed to join the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct.”

"This includes Loblaw, Sobeys and Metro, and most recently, Walmart and Costco. This is a positive step towards bringing more fairness, transparency, and predictability to Canada’s grocery supply chain and for consumers," the statement continued.

According to CBC News, the code of conduct aims to provide guidelines for how retailers and suppliers interact, and will help protect smaller grocers that lack bargaining power. The code includes provisions for fair and ethical dealing, commercial agreements and other industry topics including how to handle the process of delisting a product and under what circumstances retailers can charge fees. 

Each week, approximately 255 million customers and members visit Walmart's more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries. The Bentonville, Ark.-based U.S. division is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco currently operates more than 880 warehouses, including 600-plus in the United States and Puerto Rico and 108 in Canada. The company is No. 3 on The PG 100.