Walmart Canada will be opening a new state-of-the-art, 140,000-square-foot Supercentre with sustainable features, including a 125,000-square-foot green roof, in Marché Central, one of Canada’s top performing power centres and Montreal’s premier value shopping destination.
The store will open in the summer of 2023.
Walmart will be located in the shopping centre’s sixth retail phase on 30 acres of adjacent land which QuadReal Property Group has slated for development.
The shopping centre has five phases with a retail mix of 60 tenants in an open, large format with 16 campus-style buildings equalling a gross leasable area of over one million square feet.
“We are thrilled to be adding Walmart Canada to our retail offering at Marché Central, especially a partner who shares QuadReal’s commitment to environmental responsibility through waste reduction, waste management and green roofs,” said Andy Clydesdale, Executive Vice President, QuadReal Property Group. “Our goal with Marché Central’s Phase 6 expansion is to strengthen the value-oriented offering, enhance tenant synergies and solidify Marché Central’s dominant position in both Montreal and Canada. Walmart is central to that retail strategy.”
Marché Central has a strong roster of national tenants such as Costco, Réno-Depot, TJX brands and Staples.
“This Walmart addition is not only huge for us as we embark on our Phase 6 expansion, it, along with Costco on the other end, anchors the entire 100 acre project. We are very focused on adding to Marché Central’s already strong service and value-oriented tenant mix and we want to do that with partners who share our thinking as it relates to sustainability initiatives, green space, etc,” said Jay Camacho, Senior Vice President, Retail, QuadReal Property Group.
“From a food and beverage perspective, Giulietta Pizzeria, which offers homemade pasta and Neopolitan-style wood-fire oven pizzas and Zyara, which specializes in Lebanese and Mediterranean gastronomy are both recent additions to the Marché Central family. From a fashion perspective, we added a 6,600-square-foot American Eagle Outlet and a 7,500-square-foot Under Armour to our mix. Last, but not least, we welcomed Canada Computers at 10,000 square feet to our venue.
“As we expand our project, we are working on prioritizing active transportation on the site through safe and continuous pedestrian courses as well as, through the addition of a cycling network. Additionally, as we evolve the property, we are also very focused on creating an atmosphere that’s conducive to longer dwell time. Last, but not least, we are very fixated on creating a sense of place at Marché Central so stay tuned as we continue to activate our Public Square with our various programming initiatives. Coming up in May we have a great event to celebrate Spring complete with floral vendors, family craft workshops and more.”
Despite the pandemic, Camacho said Marché Central is literally a billboard for when the fundamentals are right, everything works like clockwork. It remained at 98 per cent occupancy throughout the pandemic which it attributes to a great retail mix as well as, location, location, location.
“When it comes to convenience, accessibility and visibility, this site is really second to none,” he said.
“Leasing for Phase 6 is well underway so expect more news to follow in the very near future.”
Walmart said it will be hiring about 300 people to work at the Marché Central location and is investing approximately $20 million in the project.
“Montreal is an extremely important market for us and we’re incredibly excited to be growing in Quebec and offering even more shopping options for our customers,” said Cyrille Ballereau, Walmart Canada Regional Vice President for Quebec. “We are always listening to our customers and this investment shows we’re committed to providing the best service possible at our everyday low prices. More Quebecers are choosing to shop with us online via curbside pickup and this unique store design will allow our associates to better serve busy families to save them time and money.
“We’re also implementing several sustainability features because Walmart’s goal is to make as light a footprint on the planet as we can. We can’t wait to open this store next year as we continue to grow in Quebec.”
The retailer has 71 stores in Quebec and more than 14,500 associates across the province.
The Marché Central Walmart will include:
- A natural refrigerant for store refrigeration with a transcritical CO2 system;
- LED lighting with advanced lighting controls throughout the store, backroom and offices;
- Ultra-low flow lavatories, urinals and water closets;
- Recycled content within building materials and low VOC finishes.
Walmart Canada’s sustainability plans for the store will complement those of QuadReal Property Group’s for the shopping venue which include:
- Implementation of rain gardens within the parking area to manage water on-site (bio-retention);
- Revegetation of the site for the reduction of heat island effect (bio-diversity);
- Prioritization of active travel methods via safe and continuous pedestrian courses as well as the implementation of a cycling network (active mobility); and
- Integration of additional electric vehicle charging stations.
