Walmart teams up with Instacart for same-day delivery in Canada

[September 13, 2018]  (Reuters) - Walmart Inc said on Thursday it has teamed up with U.S. home delivery company Instacart to bring some Canadian customers same-day grocery deliveries, raising the stakes in the country's hotly contested retail space.

A Walmart store is seen in Encinitas, California April 13, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

Walmart's Canada unit said the service, which is part of a pilot program with Instacart, will be available in the Greater Toronto Area from Sept. 13, while customers in Winnipeg can start availing the service later this month.

Like in the United States, retailers in Canada have been facing stiff competition from Amazon.com Inc, pushing a lot of them to invest in online sales and home delivery.

Last November, Canadian grocery and pharmacy chain Loblaw Cos Ltd teamed up with Instacart to offer home delivery service in Toronto and Vancouver. Startup Instacart counts Whole Foods, Costco, Target and more than 100 other retailers as customers for grocery deliveries, and charges a delivery fee for its service.

(Reporting by Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

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