Walmart Opens First Market Fulfillment Center in Arkansas as the Retailer Doubles Down on Store Fulfillment
May 22 2023 - 03:30PM
Business Wire
The addition provides even faster fulfillment
for online pickup and delivery customers while creating new
opportunities for associates.
Walmart opened its first high-tech Market Fulfillment Center in
Arkansas at Store 100 located at 406 S Walton Blvd in Bentonville
on Monday, underlining the retailer’s strategic move toward
expanding the use of its stores as fulfillment centers to enhance
the shopping experience for customers everywhere.
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The Market Fulfillment Center (MFC) is built within the store
and is powered by a proprietary storage and retrieval system –
named Alphabot. Walmart believes fulfillment through digitization
and connecting its store and supply chain assets end to end will
transform fulfillment. And along with it, customer satisfaction and
associate opportunity.
“This new order fulfillment system is truly game changing,” said
Ryan Simpson, the store manager at Store 100. “Not only does it
enhance the customer experience through quicker, more accurate
online order fulfillment, it also provides us the runway to
continue growing our business now and in the future.”
Customers can expect to see the benefits of the MFC almost
immediately.
Market fulfillment centers will significantly increase the
number of orders the store is able to fulfill in a day, promising
faster fulfillment with lower substitutions. Walmart+ members have
even more to look forward to with free unlimited delivery. It also
improves the in-store shopping experience by freeing up associates
to help customers shopping in-store.
In addition to improving the customer and member experience,
associates will also notice benefits from the new MFC.
Associates can expect more time to focus on what’s important,
including serving customers and supporting each other. In addition,
working with the Alphabot system presents new leadership jobs in
stores, like the newly created MFC Lead, and opportunities to learn
and teach new tech-forward skills.
“I love the MFC. The dedicated space allows us to concentrate on
picking items for our online customers,” said Gilbert Giron, an MFC
digital team lead at Walmart. “I feel confident that the items our
associates are looking for are going to be there when a customer
wants them. That makes me feel good, because I know our team is
providing our customers with great service."
At the foundation of the new MFC is Walmart’s strategic use of
technology to transform its stores, making the shopping experience
better for customers. It also opens door to newly created ladders
of opportunity that make Walmart a place where good jobs can turn
into great careers.
“We’re innovating toward an even better shopping experience
every day, and on every platform,” said Prathibha Rajashekar,
senior vice president of Innovation and Automation at Walmart. “To
help our customers and associates live better, we’re using
technology to help them save time. That leads to improved
experiences for everyone, no matter how they shop – and moves our
entire business forward in the process.”
At its core a local business, Walmart is supporting its
community in more than one way.
The leadership team at Store 100 celebrated the opening of the
MFC with a donation of $15,000 distributed among Bentonville High
School, Bentonville West High School and Bentonville Schools Ignite
Professional Studies Program. Their hope? Progress toward
technological and educational development.
The market fulfillment center in Bentonville, Arkansas is the
first in the state. It’s the second nationwide, with the first
being a proof of concept located at Store #2142 in Salem, New
Hampshire. Walmart plans to continue opening MFCs in select stores
in the coming years.
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is a people-led, tech-powered
omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better -
anytime and anywhere - in stores, online, and through their mobile
devices. Each week, approximately 240 million customers and members
visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 20
countries. With fiscal year 2023 revenue of $611 billion, Walmart
employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart
continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy,
and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart
can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at
facebook.com/walmart, on Twitter at twitter.com/walmart, and on
LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/walmart.
Acerca de Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) es un minorista omnicanal, dirigido por
personas e impulsado por tecnología, que ayuda a las personas a
ahorrar dinero y vivir mejor, en cualquier momento y lugar, en
tiendas, en línea y a través de sus dispositivos móviles. Cada
semana, aproximadamente 240 millones de clientes y socios visitan
más de 10 500 tiendas y numerosos sitios de comercio electrónico en
20 países. Con ingresos en el año fiscal 2023 por $611 mil
millones, Walmart emplea aproximadamente 2.1 millones de asociados
en todo el mundo. Walmart sigue siendo un líder en sostenibilidad,
filantropía corporativa y oportunidades de empleo. Para obtener más
información acerca de Walmart puede visitar
https://corporate.walmart.com, en Facebook
https://facebook.com/walmart, en Twitter
https://twitter.com/walmart, y en LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/walmart/.
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