TORONTO -- Wal-Mart Canada Corp. is closing its small Sam's Club division, which never made it beyond six stores in Ontario, choosing to focus its efforts on the lucrative supercenter format instead.

The Canadian unit of retailing-giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has tried to make a go of the warehouse clubs, which charge a membership fee in return for wholesale-priced products, for the past five years. Unlike the popular supercenters -- another 26 of which will open this year -- the half-dozen Sam's Clubs weren't meeting expectations,...