Walmart shares rise; retailer announces home delivery expansion
Walmart shares closed higher in the US Tuesday, ahead of an announcement that the global retailer plans to expand its home delivery service across the US. The move comes as rivals Amazon, Kroger and Target are all investing in the increasingly popular service.
Walmart shares ended the US trading session 0.28% higher at $88.30. The stock is currently trading a little higher in after-hours activity, too.
Giving customers what they want
In line with the changing grocery store landscape across the US, Walmart said Wednesday that it would offer a home delivery service to 100 US areas by the end of 2018.
That’s a major expansion from the six it currently delivers in and will see Walmart home delivery groceries available to over 40% of US households.
The retailer also plans to offer a same-day delivery service in New York.
“We’re saving customers time by leveraging new technology and connecting all the parts of our business into a single seamless shopping experience: great stores, easy pickup, fast delivery, and apps and websites that are simple to use,” said Greg Foran, president and CEO, Walmart US.
“We’re serving our customers in ways that no one else can. Using our size and scale, we’re bringing the best of Walmart to customers across the country,” Foran added.
Walmart promotes service
Alongside its press release announcing the significant expansion of the home-delivery service, Walmart also published a blog post detailing just how the shopping option will work, for customers who don’t already do their grocery shopping online.
The well-known store is also working to give shoppers peace-of-mind that their online shopping and home delivery experience will be as good as they need it to be.
It shares details including that there will be 18,000 specially trained personal shoppers working on this new shopping service.
“Through technology, great stores and our awesome team of associates, we’re working hard to serve you whenever and however you want,” said VP of Walmart’s US digital operations, Tom Ward.
