Canadians Have Big Plans for Summer

Over 80% plan to shop for the summer

MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 21, 2013 /CNW/ - After a long winter and a very short spring, Canadians are getting ready for summer and Walmart Canada is helping Canadians find everything they need to make the most of their summer.

According to Walmart Canada's research*, over 80% of Canadians intend to go shopping for their summer needs. On average, Canadians say they intend to spend almost $1,500 on the things they need to enjoy the summer season.

Canadians are ready to be outside, with three-quarters saying they plan to buy skincare products (75%) to get ready for summer. The change of seasons is great time to renew or refresh your wardrobe and over  two-thirds of Canadian women (70%) plan to buy a new outfit or shoes this summer.

It's also a great time to spruce up your home with a fresh coat of paint or start a home renovation project. Almost half of Canadians (46%) are planning to do some home improvement, saying they will buy hardware or paint during the summer months.

Entertaining is also high on the list of to-do's for the summer months. The majority of Canadians have already bought food and groceries for the summer (84%) and almost two-thirds plan to buy alcohol (65%).

Other plans for the summer include travel—48% of Canadians plan to take a trip—and indoor cleaning (54%).

Walmart Canada welcomes Canadians to drop by this weekend and pick up summer essentials such a BBQs, patio sets, Adirondack chairs, swing sets, bikes for the whole family and much more. Canadians are encouraged to follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using #Ready4Summer and share your photos, tips, plans and projects.

About Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada operates a growing network of 380 locations nationwide serving more than one million customers each day, as well as its flagship online store, www.walmart.ca, which is visited by over 250,000 Canadians daily. With over 95,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is recognized by Waterstone Human Capital as having one of Canada's top 10 corporate cultures. Walmart Canada is focused on helping Canadian families in need. Since 1994, Walmart has donated and raised more than $180 million to Canadian charities and not-for-profit organizations. Additional company information can be found at walmartcanada.ca, facebook.com/walmartcanada and at twitter.com/@walmartcanada.

*Summer Trend Survey
Conducted by Research Management Group for Walmart Canada, the online survey of 1,084 shoppers has a margin of error is 3.0 per cent. Respondents were recruited from the AskingCanadians national panel to quotas representing primary household shoppers by region, gender and age to reflect the national profile. Note that like the primary household shopper profile the sample is 70 per cent female and 30 per cent male. Fieldwork timing was from May 20 and June 20, 2013.

SOURCE: Walmart Canada