Walmart Opens New e-Commerce Fulfillment Center in Davenport, Fla., Creating 1,500 Jobs; Fast Shipping for Customers
July 19 2017 - 2:33PM
Business Wire
Facility is part of Walmart’s 2017-2018
investment in Florida, totaling more than $450M
Florida Governor Rick Scott, Walmart officials and community
leaders attended the grand opening of Walmart’s new e-commerce
fulfillment center in Davenport, Fla., Tuesday. The massive,
state-of-the-art facility is estimated to bring more than 1,500
jobs to Polk County. The new facility will house millions of items
dedicated to fulfilling online orders and will enable faster
shipping directly to customers or to stores for free pickup. It is
the latest addition to the next-generation fulfillment network
Walmart is building to support its rapidly growing e-commerce
business.
“This campus is just the latest example of Walmart’s commitment
to offering customers fast shipping on items they need every day,”
said Nate Faust, senior vice president, Walmart U.S. eCommerce
Supply Chain. “We’re excited not only about the economic impact our
facility has had, and will continue to have, in the community, but
also how it will help us empower our customers to shop when and how
they want.”
The 50-acre campus, located near the intersection of I-4 and
Highway 27 in Polk County, features two buildings spanning a total
of more than 2.2 million sq. ft. The campus employs more than 550
recently hired associates and there are plans to hire at least
1,000 more associates over the next year. These associates would
join the more than 107,000 in the state currently working at
Walmart’s stores, clubs and distribution centers.
Governor Scott said, “I was proud to celebrate the grand opening
of Walmart’s new e-commerce fulfillment center which is helping to
create 1,500 jobs for Florida families. Walmart could have chosen
to open this new fulfillment center in any location, yet they know
that Florida is the best place for them to grow their business and
create new jobs. By cutting taxes and creating the new $85 million
Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, we will create even more
opportunities for Florida families.”
The new facility is part of a vast network — Walmart
distribution centers, existing e-commerce facilities, 4,500 Walmart
stores and a world-class transportation fleet — that ships packages
fast and efficiently, while offering customers more choices for how
they want to receive their online orders.
“We’re excited to welcome Walmart’s new state-of-the-art
fulfillment center campus to Polk County,” said Melony Bell, Polk
County Commission Chair. “Walmart has made a significant investment
in our community through the more than 1,500 job opportunities
created and its commitment to give back to so many deserving
organizations. Walmart has long been a major employer in our
community, and we’re grateful for its commitment to continued
growth here.”
The opening comes at a time of growth and innovation in
e-commerce for Walmart. In the first quarter of this year, Walmart
saw 63 percent growth in U.S. e-commerce sales, the majority coming
from organic growth in Walmart.com. Since just the beginning of the
year, Walmart.com has rolled out free two-day shipping with no
membership fees, an extra discount for picking up orders in stores
and the ability to easily reorder online or make store purchases
within the Walmart app. Also, the recently acquired online retailer
Jet.com continues to provide a strong avenue for reaching an urban,
millennial customer.
“I’m proud of the work we’re doing to keep pace with the wants
and needs of our customers,” said Stephen “Toby” Gray, general
manager of the Polk County fulfillment center campus and 23-year
associate at Walmart. “Our team is the driving force behind this
state-of-the-art facility, and our associates have worked hard to
get us to where we are today. We’re also incredibly appreciative of
the warm welcome and strong support we have received from the local
community.”
Supporting the Local
Community
As part of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s commitment to
supporting local communities across the state, several non-profits
received grants on behalf of the Fulfilment Center team during the
ceremony. The financial support adds to the total of more than
$940,000 in grants Walmart and the Walmart Foundation has awarded
to non-profits so far this year across Florida.
Nonprofit recipients recognized at the event included:
- Give Kids the World, $2,500
- CareerSource Polk, $3,500
- Ridge Community High School
JROTC, $2,500
By the Numbers
The new 50-acre Walmart eCommerce Fulfillment Center Campus is
the sixth in the Walmart network and the first in Florida. Unique
facts and features include:
2.2 million sq. ft.
of space:
• The new building size is equivalent to
roughly 20 football fields
Pick Module
(a multi-level product storage shelving system)
• 33 miles of shelving
Dock
Doors
• Doors can withstand wind speeds of up to
120 miles per hour.
2017-2018 Florida
Investments
The positive business climate in Florida has enabled Walmart to
create thousands of local jobs, invest millions in infrastructure
and test innovative ways to serve its customers. In an effort to
continue its growth and investment in the Sunshine State, Walmart
recently announced plans for the following investments across
Florida this fiscal year (Feb. 1, 2017 through Jan. 31, 2018):
- Open nine new stores across the
state, creating more than 800 jobs statewide in stores
alone.
- Execute a multi-million-dollar
capital investment plan by remodeling more than 40 locations across
the state.
- Celebrate the groundbreaking later this
year for a new distribution center for perishable goods in the City
of Cocoa.
*Editor’s Note: Digital media kit available
here.
About Walmart in Florida
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world
save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail
stores, online and through their mobile devices. In Florida, we
serve customers at 375 retail units and online through Walmart
Grocery Pickup, Walmart.com and Jet.com. We are proud to employ
more than 107,000 associates in Florida. In Florida during FY2017,
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation helped local communities with
more than $82 million in cash and in-kind contributions to Florida
nonprofits, and Walmart donated nearly 45 million pounds of food to
local Florida food banks – equivalent to more than 37.5 million
meals. Learn more at the Walmart Today blog, and on our Facebook,
Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram channels. Walmart opened its
first store in Florida in 1982.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170719006170/en/
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.Media RelationsPhillip Keene,
1-800-331-0085http://corporate.walmart.com/contact-us/contact-media-relations
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