Walmart opens fifth automated fulfillment center in Stockton, California
Walmart has opened its fifth high-tech fulfillment center, a 900,000-square-foot facility in Stockton, California, to increase online order processing and improve West Coast delivery times. The site uses a high-density storage and retrieval system that condenses the traditional 12-step fulfillment process into five steps. E-commerce now accounts for 23% of Walmart’s total sales, and the retailer says faster delivery helps drive more online purchases.
Walmart Fulfillment Services will also operate the center to handle orders placed by third-party sellers on its Marketplace platform. Located in California’s Central Valley, the facility places inventory closer to West Coast shoppers, enabling quicker shipping options on millions of items while reducing strain on other fulfillment centers in the network. Walmart already runs four comparable next‑generation centers in Joliet, Illinois; McCordsville, Indiana; Greencastle, Pennsylvania; and Lancaster, Texas, which together support next‑day or two‑day delivery to 95% of the U.S. population. The company announced in August that it will build a sixth ultra‑modern hub in Carnesville, Georgia, covering 1.5 million square feet, with construction slated to begin later this year and a total investment of $1.3 billion.
Before the Stockton opening, Walmart operated four next‑generation fulfillment centers in the Midwest and East Coast, aiming to reach 95% of Americans with next‑day or two‑day shipping. The retailer reported that e‑commerce sales made up 23% of its total revenue, highlighting the importance of speedy fulfillment for its online growth.
What we know
Walmart has officially opened its fifth high-tech fulfillment center.
The 900,000 square foot facility, located in Stockton, California, expands capacity for processing online orders and the ability to provide faster shipping and delivery for customers across the West Coast, the retailer announced on Thursday.
A high-density storage and retrieval system reduces the traditional 12-step fulfillment process to five steps, reducing repetitive, manual tasks while allowing Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) to move products throughout the building more efficiently, resulting in increased storage and order capacity compared to a traditional fulfillment center.
E-commerce sales now represent 23% of total sales at Walmart.
In August, it announced plans to build a sixth ultra-modern e-commerce logistics hub, covering 1.5 million square feet, in Carnesville, Georgia.