To maximise the effectiveness of the facility, Walmart is making updates to meet the WFS operational requirements, as well as enhancing training, processes, equipment, and the building’s infrastructure. The building is expected to be fully converted by early this fall.

American retail company Walmart has announced the conversion of one of its Atlanta fulfilment centres (FCs) into a dedicated facility supporting its Walmart Fulfilment Services (WFS) business. The strategic move allows the company’s third-party sellers to take more advantage of its supply chain capabilities for delivery to their customers.

“When planning the launch of this WFS facility, finding the ideal location was among the critical first steps. Atlanta has been a pivotal hub in our fulfilment strategy for years, and we value the partnerships we have with that community. Our success would not be possible without the support of the local community, and our customers have benefited from those relationships as a result,” Karisa Sprague, senior vice president, fulfilment centre operations, Walmart US, said in a statement.

Many sellers who use WFS to fulfil their items are seeing on average 50 per cent sales growth for those items. WFS is designed to help sellers grow their businesses with Walmart Marketplace by helping generate more profitable sales at scale.

Another key piece is the expansion of Walmart’s next generation FC network over the next three years. The first site went live recently in Joliet, Illinois. That facility uses a unique combination of people, robotics, and machine learning to set an entirely new precedent for fulfilment, while continuing a positive work environment for associates.

More impressively, the planned next generation FCs alone will have the capacity to provide 75 per cent of the US population with next- or two-day shipping on millions of items, which gives the retailer the ability to convert the Atlanta facility to focus on fulfilling orders on Marketplace items.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)