Wal-Mart to Open Tim Hortons Coffee Shops in Canadian Superstores

TORONTO -- Wal-Mart Canada Corp., a unit of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., said late last week it is joining forces with coffee chain Tim Hortons to boost its one-stop-shopping appeal and help customers get their caffeine fix.

Tim Hortons will open shops in three of the retailing giant's superstores by the end of the year. Wal-Mart plans to have seven Tim Hortons operating out of its Canadian stores by next year.

"We have the same kind of customers, people who are looking for convenience and value," Tim Hortons spokeswoman Rachel Douglas said.

Two of the Tim Hortons will be located in Wal-Mart locations in Alberta, in Edmonton and Lethbridge, and the other in Brockville, Ont. Wal-Mart said it hopes to have

The coffee shops will feature seating areas, and will be located near the front of the stores.

The move is part of Wal-Mart's strategy to make its super stores a one-stop place for shopping, said spokesman Kevin Groh.

Meanwhile, in the U.S. market, the Subway sandwich chain has overtaken McDonald's Corp. as Wal-Mart's primary fast-food concessionaire, according to reports published last week. Subway, a unit of closely held Doctor's Associates, Inc. of Milford, Conn., is in 1,419 Wal-Marts compared with 1,021 McDonald's. So far this year, Subway has opened 105 Wal-Mart locations in the U.S. -- more than three times the 34 locations McDonald's opened.
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