Walmart Expands Warehouse Campus to 5 Million SF

BAYTOWN, Texas – (Realty News Report) – Walmart is building a 1 million-SF addition to its distribution warehouse campus in Baytown, east of Houston.

Set to open in the Fall of 2022, the project will bring the total square-footage of the campus to over 5 million SF. The expansion will create an additional 300 full-time jobs.

The new facility, will be located at 4633 Borusan Road.

The new warehouse “is another step in Walmart’s continued investment in the state,” said Mike Gray, SVP Supply Chain Operations for Walmart.

“Southeast Texas is booming, and I am happy to see Walmart make significant investments in Baytown. The campus expansion will bring jobs and opportunity to the already diverse and strong Chambers County economy,” said State Senator Brandon Creighton.

Baytown, which has extensive railroad, highway and barge access, has considerable growth potential as shipping port.

Recently the nation has struggled through supply chain crisis, leaving store shelves and manufacturers short or parts and building materials. Scores of cargo-container ships often wait for months in the waters off of the California ports of Long Beach and California.

In-bound ships are skipping the California hassle, and navigating through the Panama Canal to the docks on the Gulf of Mexico coast. This phenomenon holds great potential for the Port of Houston, says Bob Parsley, chairman of the Colliers Houston commercial real estate firm.

185,000 Texans Work at Walmart

Walmart operates 19 distribution centers, 593 retail stores and employs over 185,000 people in the state of Texas.

“A highly skilled labor pool in the Houston area, and Texas more broadly, makes Baytown a prime destination for Walmart to continue expanding our supply chain network,” said Karisa Sprague, senior vice president, US Supply Chain People, Walmart U.S.

Walmart has 2.3 Million Employees

Each week, 230 million customers and members visit approximately 10,500 stores and clubs under 46 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2022 revenue of $573 billion, Walmart employs 2.3 million associates worldwide.

Baytown, which has extensive railroad, highway and barge access, has a number of massive distribution facilities.

The Avera Companies, a Houston-based commercial real estate firm, recent partnered with AEW Capital Management to develop Kilgore Grand Parkway, a 522,135-SF industrial building in Baytown.

Avera in Baytown

“As Houston pushes innovation and capacity, the building will appeal to national tenants entering Houston for the first time as well as current tenants looking to expand,” said Trey Odom, President and CEO of The Avera Companies.

There has been considerable construction in Baytown’s TGS Cedar Port Industrial Park— the largest master-planned, rail-and-barge-served industrial park in the United States.

TGS Cedar Port Industrial Park is a 15,000-acre development with 10,000 acres remaining for sale, lease or build-to-suit projects.