Walmart to close two fulfilment centres, affecting 201 employees

Two site closures

Walmart is closing two fulfilment centres in the United States, with detailed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filings indicating 201 employees will be affected.

The closures involve an e-commerce facility in Matteson, Illinois, and a Sam’s Club fulfilment centre in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Matteson site will affect 111 employees, while the Worcester closure will affect 90 employees. Although the report’s headline refers to 200 jobs, the two detailed employee figures total 201.

Walmart informed Matteson employees in February. The 150,000-square-foot facility’s operations are being moved to a 1.1-million-square-foot next-generation fulfilment centre in Joliet, Illinois. The Worcester site measures 138,000 square feet. Layoffs at both locations are expected to begin May 29.

Both properties had previously operated as Sam’s Club stores. They were closed in 2018, then converted into facilities handling online orders one year later.

Automation-linked supply-chain restructuring

The closures are part of Walmart’s broader supply-chain restructuring and are connected to its investment in automated distribution and fulfilment operations. Walmart did not state that artificial intelligence caused the job cuts. However, the company’s shift towards advanced fulfilment technology, robotics and automation is central to the operational changes surrounding the closures.

Walmart has been retrofitting dozens of distribution centres with robotics and automation, with a target completion date of 2030. The company expects its supply-chain investments to peak in 2026 and 2027.

In Walmart U.S., approximately 60 percent of stores receive some freight from automated distribution centres. Roughly 50 percent of e-commerce fulfilment-centre volume is automated. The company has linked these changes to tighter inventory management, lower fulfilment costs, faster delivery and a profitable e-commerce operation.

Transfers, relocation and severance

Walmart says affected workers can move to another location, including nearby or nationwide facilities. Eligible employees may receive a $7,500 transfer bonus, relocation assistance and on-the-job training using advanced fulfilment technology.

Workers who do not request a move may be eligible for severance pay. Walmart said it would work individually with affected employees to identify an appropriate path forward.

The closures occur alongside expansion elsewhere in Walmart’s fulfilment network. In February, the company acquired a 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse in East Hartford, Connecticut, for $212.6 million. It was also confirmed in October 2025 that Walmart was investing $300 million in a 1.2-million-square-foot fulfilment centre in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Walmart had previously planned to open its fifth next-generation fulfilment centre in Stockton, California, by the end of 2026.

Sources

• Walmart Cuts Two Fulfillment Sites, Impacting 200 Jobs