Walmart Inc. sales in Canada surged in the last quarter as consumers continued to stock up on essentials such as groceries.

Same-store sales in the country rose 7.7 per cent in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the comparable ticket value rose 24 per cent, which means Canadians were buying significantly more, on average, for each visit.

By comparison, same-store sales in the U.S. rose 6.4 per cent, beating estimates of a 3.8 per cent rise.

E-commerce continued to see strength in the quarter as online sales in Canada, which were led by grocery purchases, spiked 177 per cent.

The company attributed the acceleration in third-quarter sales in part to delayed back-to-school spending in September. It said that momentum continued throughout October as grocery sales strengthened.

Walmart’s total global revenue rose 5.2 per cent to US$134.7 billion.