Walmart's new culinary center

Walmart has opened a Culinary & Innovation Center, which will be dedicated to innovating and testing new products, using in-store and in-home setups.

Its test kitchens have been designed to reflect ones that would be found in consumers’ homes, it said, in varied setups to help the retailer understand how the consumer uses items once she bring them home. Other kitchens in the center replicate the bakeries and service delis found in its stores, so it can test real-life execution for store associates and receive feedback from them, as “many of the best ideas across Walmart come from associates in our stores,” Walmart announced on its blog, adding that it already tests thousands of products a year.

“When it comes to the groceries we bring home to our families, all of us expect high quality,” the blog said. “At our new Culinary & Innovation Center, we have a fresh set of capabilities to both imagine the next great items for you and your family, and maintain quality long after the products arrive on our shelves.” Past innovations have included Mystery Peeps and the new Sam’s Choice premium ice creams.

Similar to a facility at the Sam’s Club headquarters, the Culinary & Innovation Center also features a sensory lab where it will collect feedback from customers and associates in real time.

“We love perfecting food at Walmart and are proud to be the nation’s largest grocer. Our private brands team (the people behind Great Value, Marketside and the like) hit a home run by making this new facility a reality,” the retailer said. “It represents the heart of what we do—advocating for our customers by creating exciting items, ensuring quality and always delivering low prices.”

In addition, Walmart will begin testing grocery delivery through Uber and Lyft in Denver and one other market, expected to begin within the next two weeks. Sam’s Club began a similar pilot in March in Miami with the delivery of general merchandise and grocery with Deliv.

(Source: hfndigital.com  Author: Andrea Lillo)