A 730,000-square-foot Walmart fresh food distribution center opened in Lancaster, Texas, on Tuesday.
The new facility, located 15 miles south of Dallas, will receive, process and distribute fresh produce, eggs, dairy, flowers and frozen foods to nearby Walmart stores, which have 590 stores in Texas.
This is the second facility Walmart has opened in Lancaster: In 2023, the retailer opened a next-generation fulfillment center in the city. The center is also the second of five new high-tech fresh food distribution centers Walmart now has open.
Technology allows them to more than double the throughput of a traditional distribution center, and the department creates store-ready pallets, making it easier to unload goods at the stores and maximizing the space on delivery trucks.
“This is a milestone for our city, combining a skilled workforce with cutting-edge technology to provide fresh, high-quality food,” said Lancaster Mayor Clyde Hairston. “More than innovation, this center will create sustainable jobs in our community and increase access to nutritious food.”
Last week, Walmart announced it was adding four highly automated fresh food distribution centers across the country and adding automation technology to five more centers.
In addition to the Lancaster store, Walmart also operates an automated fresh food distribution center in Shafter, Calif., and plans to open new DCs in Wellford, South Carolina; Belvidere, Illinois; and Piles Grove, New Jersey.
“We’re adding cutting-edge technology to our facilities… that will enable faster, higher volume service and more reliable delivery to our customers,” Dave Gugina, executive vice president of supply chain operations for Walmart U.S. branches, said in a blog post.
Walmart is also expanding four traditional fresh produce distribution centers to increase fresh food storage capacity, adding more than 500,000 square feet of automated facilities at each location. The facilities are located in Mankato, Minnesota; Mebane, North Carolina; Garrett, Indiana; and Shelbyville, Tennessee.
The company also plans to install automation technology at its distribution center in Winter Haven, Florida.
