Walmart opened its fifth next-generation fulfillment center Oct. 8, a more than 900,000-square-foot facility in Stockton, California, that will create more than 1,000 jobs and expand the retailer’s faster shipping and delivery options in California and the West Coast.
The facility pairs associates with advanced automation, technology and machine learning, which Walmart said materially improves storage capacity and increases the number of customer orders fulfilled each day compared with a traditional fulfillment center. An automated, high-density storage and retrieval system brings products directly to associates, reducing the traditional 12-step fulfillment process to five steps.
Located in California’s Central Valley, the Stockton site adds fulfillment capacity closer to West Coast customers. Combined with the rest of its fulfillment network, Walmart said the next-generation centers will enable the retailer to reach 95 percent of the U.S. population with next- or two-day shipping. Walmart Fulfillment Services, the company’s third-party fulfillment arm, also will use the space to fulfill Marketplace items.
“We’re bringing together associates with advanced technology and automation to create a safer, more efficient operation that can fulfill more orders and get products to customers faster,” said Karisa Sprague, SVP of fulfillment operations for Walmart U.S. “This facility is an important investment in the Central Valley and a critical part of how we’re building the next generation of Walmart’s fulfillment network across the West Coast.”
Hiring and community investment
Hiring continues for a variety of positions, including tech-focused roles, as operations ramp up. Full-time positions qualify for Walmart’s benefits plans, including medical coverage, 401(k) matching, a stock purchase plan and tuition-paid college degrees through Live Better U.
“This facility is about more than the technology inside the building, it’s about the people who bring it to life every day,” said Dean Yoder, general manager of the Stockton fulfillment center. “We’re building a team of more than 1,000 associates here in Stockton, with opportunities to develop new skills, work with advanced technology and build long-term careers.”
“Walmart’s new fulfillment center will create more than 1,000 jobs, bring new career opportunities to our residents and strengthen Stockton’s position as a hub for innovation and economic growth in the Central Valley,” added Timm Quinn, CEO of the Stockton Chamber of Commerce.
Walmart marked the grand opening with $10,000 in grants to the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton and Unbound Stockton Community School. The retailer employs more than 102,900 associates in California and spent $36.5 billion with California suppliers in 2025, serving customers in the state at more than 300 stores, clubs and supply chain facilities.
Other next-gen centers open and planned
The Stockton facility joins the other locations already open:
- Joliet, Illinois, serving Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin;
- McCordsville, Indiana, serving customers around the Midwest and Ohio Valley regions;
- Lancaster, Texas, covering Texas and several of its neighboring states; and
- Greencastle, Pennsylvania, serving Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets.
In August, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Walmart’s plans to build an automated warehouse in Carnesville, representing an investment of $1.3 billion and creating 1,000 new jobs. The 1.5 million-square-foot facility will be located in the Franklin 85 Logistics Center in Carnesville, in northeast Georgia. Construction is expected to begin late this year.
Gov. Kemp said, “This massive investment from Walmart in a rural part of our state will not only create new, good-paying jobs for hardworking Georgians, [but] it will also allow them to work close to home rather than commuting to a larger city for work.”
Related: Walmart Opens Next Generation Fulfillment Center In Joliet, IL