Walmart to build e-commerce fulfillment centers in Utah, Tennessee

Retail giant Walmart is expanding its supply chain operations in response to growing e-commerce demands, with plans to open first-of-its kind fulfillment centers for online orders in Salt Lake City, Utah, and suburban Nashville, Tenn. Both centers will support the retailer’s growing e-comm business, which has increased 87% over the past two years, based on its most recent, fiscal third-quarter results, the company said.

The more than 1 million square-foot Salt Lake City facility is slated to open in the summer of 2022 and will create approximately 450 jobs in the region. At 925,000 square feet, the Lebanon, Tenn., fulfillment center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2022 and will create up to 300 local jobs. Both facilities will feature high-tech automation, including autonomous robots, company leaders said.

Walmart operates three distribution centers, 59 retail stores, and employs more than 20,000 associates in Utah, and operates three distribution centers, 150 retail stores, and employs more than 42,500 associates in Tennessee.

The expansion is in line with moves from other supply chain companies that are expanding their physical footprints in response to growing demand for logistics services.