Walmart partners with Google, expands Uber delivery service

Walmart and Google announced last week that a new partnership between the companies will allow shoppers to use Google's apps and devices to shop at Walmart.

According to a story in Supermarket News, Walmart customers will soon be able to link their accounts to Google and receive personalized shopping results based on past purchases using Google Express, Google Assistant or a Google Home device. Walmart will fulfill orders made through Google at no extra charge.

According to the companies, "hundreds of thousands" of items will be available through the service. (Walmart.com has about 67 million SKUs available for sale.)

Walmart ecommerce CEO Marc Lore said the partnership is "just the beginning," adding that voice shopping, which will be possible through Google, will be expanding its capabilities in the near future.

Walmart and Uber team up for home delivery

In a separate announcement, Walmart said last week that it plans to expand its grocery home delivery service through Uber to the Dallas and Orlando markets. Walmart began testing Uber delivery over a year ago in Phoenix.

Customers who choose home delivery through Uber are charged $9.95 per order.

Perhaps the bigger news is that the fleet of Walmart Uber delivery cars have giant models of fruit and vegetables on their roofs.

Wawa opens sixth Florida store

Wawa opened its sixth Florida store late last month. The company began opening stores in Florida in July, and has plans for 25 more in 2013, with a total of 100 new stores in five years. The six operating stores are in Orlando and Kissimmee. Expansion to the Tampa area will begin next year.

Wawa has nearly 600 convenience stores - 300 of which offer gas - in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida.

Wawa opens first Florida store

The first Wawa in the state of Florida opened last week in Orlando, and as many as 100 may open in the state over the next five years. For now, residents of Orlando can expect a new Wawa every week for the next five weeks.

A store in Tampa is slated to open next year, and Wawa expects 20 new Florida stores in 2013, then 25 stores each in 2014 and 2015.

For more on Wawa's expansion to Florida, see New prototype Wawa under development for Florida.

New prototype Wawa under development for Florida

Wawa CEO Howard Stoeckel said recently that the company's stores scheduled to open this year in Florida will resemble a restaurant that sells gas, rather than a convenience store, as we are accustomed to in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The new store prototype will be built around fast-casual food and convenience, and will feature an array of proprietary foods and a "barista-style" coffee department.

According to reports, the first Florida store will open in Orlando in July, and five more locations will follow in the Orlando market in the following months. Stores in Tampa are scheduled to open in early 2013. Overall, the company expects to operate about 100 stores in central Florida over the course of the next five years.

Wawa signs leases, plans to enter Florida market

According to the Orlando Business Journal, Wawa has signed "more than 10" leases in the Orlando, Florida market, and the retailer has indicated it will open as many as 100 stores in the state.

According to a Wawa regional real estate manager, site work on the first set of stores will begin in the next month or two, with openings taking place next summer.

Currently Wawa has 588 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Fuel is offered at 298 of these locations (that's more than half for those keeping score).

I have previously written about Walmart's entry into the convenience store/gas arena and their roll-out of up to 350 stores per year, but I doubt the Greater Philadelphia area is high on their list because of Wawa's domination here. It'll be interesting to see, however, if the Big Ws battle it out in the Sunshine state!