Walmart opens new perishables facility

Walmart grocery shoppers in North Carolina and Virginia may notice an improved assortment.



The discount giant is opening a 450,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in Mebane, North Carolina, on Wednesday, July 13. The facility, which cost nearly $100 million, will be dedicated to distributing perishables to stores in North Carolina and Virginia.



With the center’s opening, Walmart will operate four distribution facilities in North Carolina. The retailer says the facility will create 550 new jobs, which is more than 100 additional jobs from what was originally announced in December 2013.



In addition to creating more jobs than first anticipated, the project also beat schedule expectations. Walmart had initially said the center would open in August 2016. The retailer operates more than 150 distribution centers across the country.