Sam’s Club to open two new distribution centers in 2024
Sam’s Club is expanding its supply chain capacity across the Midwest.
The warehouse club retailer, a division of Walmart Inc., plans to open two new distribution centers in early 2024 outside St. Louis and Minneapolis. The new facilities are part of a multi-year growth plan to transform the Sam’s Club supply chain.
The retailer intends the new distribution centers to provide customers with a better shopping experience through noticeable increases in speed and availability of products, both in-store and online.
The first facility will open in the greater St. Louis area (Edwardsville, Ill.), in January 2024. The 370,000 square-foot facility will serve as a distribution center and fulfillment center, creating more than 100 jobs across the region. Hourly associate hiring for the center will begin in early December 2023.
The second facility will be located in Shakopee, Minn., and will serve as a multipurpose distribution center. The 365,000 square-foot facility is scheduled to open in March 2024, and will employ more than 80 associates. Hiring is already underway.
“We’re excited to extend our supply chain network and capabilities for our clubs and members in the region,” said Joseph Godsey, senior VP of supply chain at Sam’s Club. “We’re designing our supply chain network to strengthen our omnichannel experience and increase efficiencies and delivery speed to wherever our members decide to shop with us and receive their products."
The announcement of these two new locations comes as Sam’s Club has also recently shared plans to open a new distribution center in Oklahoma City and a new fulfillment center in Lithia Springs, Ga. (outside of Atlanta).
Supply chain enhancement
Sam’s Club has launched a multiple-year plan to invest in and modernize its supply chain through new distribution and fulfillment center locations across the country, including cutting-edge automation.
To support its growth during the past few years, Sam’s Club has undertaken a significant transformation of its supply chain, evolving network and end-to-end capabilities. Over the next several years, Sam's Club will add numerous new facilities to its supply chain network as well as retrofitting a number of existing facilities for more enhanced physical and digital capabilities.
With the new investment, Sam’s Club stores and members will become significantly closer on average to a supply chain facility, the company said. As part of these new footprints, Sam's Club is launching highly automated facilities with state-of-the-art automation and robotics, following in the footsteps of parent company Walmart.
Based in Bentonville, Ark., Sam’s Club is a division of Walmart Inc. operating nearly 600 club stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.