Walmart Canada, Meijer Media, and Stater Bros. Big Tech Investments

Walmart Canada Invests $6.5B In Stores and Supply Chain

Walmart Canada announced a market-shifting five-year $6.5 billion investment plan to further accelerate growth in Canada. With the planned investment, the mega-retailer will build dozens of new stores across the country, beginning with five new Supercenters in Ontario and Alberta by 2027.

In addition, its Vaughan distribution center, which will be Walmart Canada's most advanced facility, will open in Spring 2025. The modernization of the distribution is part of the retailer's mission to expand, revolutionize, and transform its supply chain.

Grocery Doppio reports in its 2024 Digital Grocery: Year in Review that by 2030, medium and small grocers stand to lose $29 billion in sales to Walmart. It stands to reason that with the increased investment in Walmart Canada, smaller-sized grocers north of the border should expect a similar siphoning of their market share.

"Walmart Canada is on an ambitious growth journey to serve even more Canadians – better and differently than ever before,” said Gui Loureiro, regional CEO, Walmart Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Central America. "This $6.5 billion investment is the largest we've made in Canada towards expanding our footprint since we first arrived here 30 years ago."

The $6.5 billion investment plan comes on the heels of a $3.5 billion four-year investment launched in 2020, which modernized more than 180 stores across the country, funded four new builds, and launched five DCs.

Meijer Media Expands Digital Offering

Meijer Media, the Midwest grocer’s media network, has launched new advertising tactics — Pinterest and Online Video (OLV) and Connected TV (CTV) — advancing its capabilities in the digital advertising industry. While 59% of grocers want to invest in retail media networks to monetize their platforms and strengthen brand partnerships, according to Grocery Doppio’s 2025 Digital Grocery Outlook, Meijer is putting that desire into action.

These new offerings are designed to help brands connect with shoppers in more personalized, creative, and impactful ways, meeting them at key moments of inspiration and discovery.

"Our new advertising offerings reflect our commitment to connecting brands with shoppers in meaningful and innovative ways," said Jeff Leitch, director of Meijer Media. "By combining creative storytelling, data-driven targeting, and strategic media partners, we're empowering brands to engage customers at every step of their journey and deliver measurable results."

Meijer Media's integration with Pinterest gives brands the ability to inspire customers through visually engaging content that supports product discovery. Campaigns will leverage first-party data to create personalized, visually rich experiences aligned with customer preferences.  

OLV and CTV strategies focus on delivering compelling video content that captures attention and drives brand awareness. These campaigns will showcase product innovations, reinforce brand equity, and tap into the emotional power of video to connect with highly engaged viewers.

Stater Bros. Rollouts Afresh Chain-Wide

Stater Bros. is rolling out Afresh’s store ordering solution across its produce departments chainwide. Following a successful pilot, the Southern California-based grocer is implementing Afresh in all of its 169 stores.

"We're excited to partner with a stand-out regional grocer like Stater Bros,” said Dain Charette, chief revenue officer for Afresh. “We're honored to be a part of their digital transformation and deliver a clear and meaningful ROI. With this chain-wide rollout, we can't wait for these benefits to be felt in every Stater Bros. store."

AI is no longer a solution looking for a problem but a major piece of the foundation of grocery technology. Grocery Doppio reported in its State of AI in Grocery Report 2024 that 86% of grocery c-suite executives believe that adopting AI will be a necessity to compete in the future, with 71% pointing to operational efficiency as the area where AI will have the greatest impact.

Stater Bros. is replacing its previous manual ordering processes with Afresh's AI-powered solution, which produced significant improvements during the pilot. The produce teams have reduced overstock, prevented excess inventory from sitting in the backroom, and ensured the sales floor remains freshly stocked. During the pilot, stores saw improved sales performance while simultaneously reducing waste.

"With Afresh, our produce managers have a tool that can assist them in placing orders that reduce waste and increase shelf life," said Bertha Luna, Stater Bros. Markets SVP of retail operations. "The result is fresher produce at affordable prices, which translates into happier and more loyal customers."

GrubMarket Acquires Sally Produce

GrubMarket, an AI-powered technology enabler and digital transformer, has completed the acquisition of Sally Produce, one of the largest and most reputable Asian produce wholesalers in California.

Sally Produce offers a full spectrum of fresh fruits and vegetables, with a specialization in Asian greens, pomelos, and melons, sourced directly from California farms. With more than 100 customers, Sally supplies major Asian grocery stores throughout Northern California and Washington state, as well as local restaurants.

Sally operates a 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Gilroy, CA, a strategic location that allows it to efficiently reach both suppliers and customers up and down the West Coast. The business will continue to be managed by the wholesaler's experienced leadership team, ensuring a seamless transition.

"For years, we've been committed to bringing farm-fresh, high-quality Asian produce to our customers across the West Coast,” said Sally Huang, owner of Sally Produce. “We've built strong relationships with local growers that allow us to source directly and ensure freshness and quality control. Being part of the GrubMarket family will enable us to expand our reach while maintaining the exceptional quality and personalized service that our customers choose us for.”

Consumers Prioritize Wants and Optimize Needs

The Kearney Consumer Institute’s (KCI) latest Consumer Stress Index provides a comprehensive view of consumer sentiment, assessing how a number of potential stress factors impact consumers and their purchasing behavior.

"The Consumer Stress Index explores the gap between what consumers say and what they do," notes KCI study lead Katie Thomas. "For example, there's a disconnect between 'cash-strapped consumers' portrayed in the media and the reality that holiday spending and travel were up. That disconnect leads people to ask questions like, 'Why are malls and airports so crowded if people supposedly can't afford groceries?' The Index shows that two things can be simultaneously true: People are stressed about money. And people are spending money."

KCI surveyed more than 24,000 consumers in 12 countries about how stressed they feel with respect to five pillars: consumer wallet and finances, health and education, geopolitics and government, food and the environment, and innovation and technology.

The data revealed three key themes:

• An individual's feelings about the general state of the economy do not accurately predict how they will behave — their personal situation (i.e., job security and cost of living) is a better indicator.

• Consumer perception of 'fair' prices is outdated. While prices have increased significantly from 2019 through 2024, wages, for the most part, have kept up, and consumers spent about the same percentage of their income. If inflation stays where it is now, consumers will slowly begin to let go of their outdated notions of 'fair' pricing and acclimate to 'new-normal' prices.

• Consumers have more options for high-frequency grocery purchases, allowing them to optimize their everyday spending on 'needs' to make room for more of their 'wants' like travel and recreation.

The ability to balance ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ is not a luxury that every shopper possesses. Customers living paycheck to paycheck are certainly more concerned with making ends meet and providing food on the family table than satisfying some non-essential ‘want.’ In Grocery Doppio’s Why the Price of Milk Will Determine Who Becomes President report, 59% of shoppers said that economic conditions have negatively impacted their grocery shopping habits, and 47% are more cautious about spending on groceries.

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