Jan 30 (Reuters) - Walmart Canada said on Thursday it is

investing about C$6.5 billion ($4.51 billion) to build new

stores and expand its supply chain, marking its biggest ever

investment since opening its first store nearly 30 years ago.

U.S. retail giant Walmart's ( WMT ) Canadian branch, which

plans to expand its footprint, added it would be building dozens

of new stores starting with five new supercenters in Ontario and

Alberta by 2027.

The retailer also plans to invest in modernizing its

distribution centers.

"Across the country, we're making strategic investments in

our online and in-store offerings to be more relevant to more

customers than ever before," said Joe Schrauder, Walmart

Canada's chief operations officer.

Walmart Canada currently has over 400 stores and more than

100,000 workers in the country.

The move follows Walmart's ( WMT ) decision to open 150 new stores

in the United States.

The company joins a list of other retailers, including

Target ( TGT ), which have been making efforts to add new

locations to gain more market share, following the increasing

popularity of free and curbside delivery services.

Walmart Canada also said it would be selling its fleet

business to Canada Cartage, a provider of fleet services. The

terms of this deal were not disclosed.

The company also raised wages for its hourly retail and

frontline associates in Canada last year.

($1 = 1.4417 Canadian dollars)