Walmart announces two new centers dedicated to filling online orders

San Bruno, Calif. -- Walmart announced it is opening two new warehouses dedicated to filling online orders, one in Fort Worth, Texas, and one in Bethlehem, Pa., which will be its largest center to date. The new facilities are part of a next-generation fulfillment network that the retailer said will deliver U.S. customer orders faster and at a lower cost.



The Fort Worth center is already open and began shipping orders last week. It is 800,000 sq. ft. The Bethlehem operation will be more than one million sq. ft. It is scheduled to open in the first quarter of next year.



The two facilities are expected to provide more than 600 full-time positions in Pennsylvania and Texas, and would likely add another 600 workers during the holidays and other peak seasons. The Fort Worth facility will be operated by Brentwood, Tenn.-based OHL, a global supply chain management solutions company. The Bethlehem center will be fully operated by Walmart.



"With our dedicated online facilities and 4,100 stores within five miles of two-thirds of the U.S. population, we gain a significant advantage by being positioned in the most important location, close to our customers," said Joel Anderson, president and CEO of Walmart.com. "This unique combination allows us to get more products to our customers faster and at a lower cost."



Walmart noted that it expects its online sales will exceed $10 billion globally this year, with growth of 30% in the quarter ended July 31. In addition to the U.S., Walmart’s e-commerce sales come primarily from Brazil, China, and the United Kingdom.



Additionally, the retailer said that more than 10% of its orders are shipped from stores and more than 50% are shipped in less than two days.