Walmart is announcing plans to open its fifth ‘next-generation’ fulfillment center in Stockton, California, in 2026. The new 900,000 square-foot facility located at 150 Mariposa Road in Stockton—about 50-miles south of Sacramento—will enable the retailer to fulfill online orders throughout the west coast with greater speed and efficiency.
Increased Order Capacity Means Faster Shipping Speeds
The Stockton fulfillment center will be the fifth of Walmart’s ‘next generation’ facilities combining skilled associates with technology and machine learning to provide the west coast with faster shipping and delivery, while increasing fulfillment capacity for Walmart.com orders.
The high-tech facility will feature an automated, high-density storage and retrieval system that streamlines a manual, 12-step process down to just five steps. Benefits of the new technology include more comfort for associates, double the storage capacity and twice the number of customer orders Walmart can fulfill in a day, expanding next- or two-day shipping for Walmart customers.
“The announcement of our high-tech fulfillment center in Stockton commemorates yet another significant stride in our omni-channel retail efforts,” said Karisa Sprague, senior vice president, Fulfillment Network Operations for Walmart U.S. “In response to increasing customer demand for online shopping, we are implementing technology to enhance delivery speed and accuracy for our customers, all the while creating new and exciting technology-empowered career paths for our associates.”
Combined with the rest of Walmart’s fulfillment network, ‘next generation’ fulfillment centers, like the Stockton facility, will enable the retailer to reach 95% of the U.S. population with next- or two-day shipping. Walmart Fulfillment Services, Walmart’s end-to-end third-party fulfillment service, will also leverage the space to fulfill third-party Marketplace items.
Career Opportunities
The Stockton fulfillment center will soon be home to more than 1,000 Walmart associates. The retailer will hire for a variety of positions, including tech-focused jobs.
“The new Stockton facility is another great example of how Walmart is people-led and tech-powered. It’s an investment in technology that will pave the way for good jobs and great careers for our associates,” said Maren Waggoner, senior vice president, End-to-End People Operations at Walmart U.S. “I look forward to seeing the positive impact this facility will have on the Central Valley community, creating new opportunities to work with cutting edge technology and lasting career growth with Walmart.”
Full-time positions qualify for Walmart’s total rewards and benefits plans, including medical, vision and dental insurance, 401(k) matching, paid time off, stock purchase plan and access to a tuition-paid college degree through Walmart’s Live Better U.
Walmart currently has 8 distribution centers, 4 fulfillment centers, 309 retail stores and employs 100,140+ associates in the state of California. In FYE 2023, stores, clubs and the Walmart Foundation gave $66 million in cash and in-kind donations to local California organizations.
