Walmart Opens 1.5 MSF Fulfillment Center Near Dallas

At full capacity, the Walmart Fulfillment Center in Lancaster, Texas, will employ 1,000 people. Image courtesy of Walmart

Walmart has opened a new 1.5 million-square-foot automated fulfillment center in Lancaster, Texas, near Dallas. This facility is the third of four such centers that the company announced last year, capable of providing next- or two-day shipping to 95 percent of the U.S. population. At full capacity, the facility will employ some 1,000 people.

Walmart broke ground on the three-story facility in 2021, as part of a $800 million project that also included the development of a 730,000-square-foot grocery distribution center. Caddell provided preconstruction and construction services.

Located at 2500 Belt Line Road, the 293-acre property is adjacent to Lancaster Airport and has direct access to Interstate 45. Downtown Dallas is some 20 miles north.

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Recently, Walmart announced a fifth facility slated to open in 2026 in Northern California. Earlier this year, the retailer completed its largest fulfillment center nationwide, spanning 2.2 million square feet in McCordsville, Ind., near Indianapolis. All these next-generation facilities use a five-step process system, meant to significantly increase their efficiency.

Industrial development across the Metroplex

As of August, Dallas-Fort Worth had the largest industrial supply pipeline in the nation at nearly 51.9 million square feet, accounting for 5.8 percent of stock, according to a recent CommercialEdge report. The Metroplex led the U.S. for deliveries as well, with 32.1 million square feet completed in the first 8 months of the year, almost double the figure registered by second-place Phoenix at 17.4 million square feet.

The metro is also brimming with planned industrial projects. Just last month, Chinese solar energy products maker Trina Solar revealed plans for a 1 million-square-foot-plus solar photovoltaic manufacturing facility to be constructed in Wilmer, Texas. The project is valued at more than $200 million.