Walmart said the service will launch in the latter half of 2018. The move is part of the retailer’s strategy to grow its international businesses, which suffered recent setbacks in Brazil and the UK.
In Japan, the new service will replace Walmart’s existing online grocery delivery offering and will be called “Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper.” Seiyu GK is the name of Walmart’s wholly owned Japanese unit.
It will allow customers to place an order on Rakuten’s online marketplace platform, which will then be fulfilled by the Walmart-Rakuten joint venture. Walmart-Rakuten will open a warehouse to service these orders in addition to using Seiyu stores, the companies said.
Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani told reporters in Tokyo he hoped the joint effort could lead to cooperation in other areas.
“We would like to have an alliance in a broader sense, not just in Japan but for our global businesses,” he said.
Rakuten’s overseas operations include the United States and Europe.
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