The new e-commerce fulfillment center recently opened by Walmart in Davenport, Florida, will bring more than 1,500 jobs to Polk County.
The new state-of-the-art 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.
The 50-acre campus, located near the intersection of I-4 and Highway 27 in Davenport, has two buildings spanning a total of more than 2.2 million sq. ft.
Walmart said in a press release that right now the facility employs more than 550 workers and next year they plan to hire at least 1,000 more.
The first eCommerce Fulfillment Center Campus in Florida
The new eCommerce Fulfillment Center Campus in Davenport is the sixth in the Walmart network and the first in Florida.
“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. “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.”
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% 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.
“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.
Walmart recently announced plans for the following investments across Florida through January, 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.