Olathe, Kan. – Walmart announced it will open its first-ever fully owned and operated case-ready beef facility in Olathe, Kansas in 2025. The opening of the new facility will further Walmart’s efforts in creating an end-to-end supply chain for high quality Angus beef, while increasing transparency and capacity in its supply chain to deliver high quality products for its customers in the Midwest.
The new facility is set to break ground later this year and will create more than 600 Walmart jobs in the Olathe community. Once opened, the facility will package and distribute a selection of Angus cuts from Sustainable Beef LLC in North Platte, Nebraska, to serve Walmart stores across the Midwest.
Walmart first announced its ambitions to create an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef in 2019 and has made numerous strides since then with the opening of a case-ready beef facility in Thomasville, Georgia in 2020 and its equity investment and long term commercial agreement in Sustainable Beef LLC last year.
Walmart customer shopping habits have evolved over recent years and more customers are seeking greater transparency in the supply chain and high-quality offerings available at an affordable price. This case-ready facility will increase needed capacity in the beef industry and allows Walmart greater control in offering high-quality items for its customers while keeping up with customer demand.
“At Walmart, enhancing quality is integral to how we innovate,” said David Baskin, Senior Vice President, Deli, Meat & Seafood at Walmart. “Once opened, our case-ready beef facility in Olathe will mark an important next step in our journey to create an end-to-end Angus beef supply chain, ensuring our customers have access to the high-quality meats they expect at the everyday low prices they rely on.”
The state-of-the-art facility will be designed and built by local construction firm, McCownGordon. The project will create more than 1,000 design, fabrication, and construction jobs. Walmart is making a capital investment of $257 million.
“Technological advances in the food supply chain continue to reshape the industry,” said Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. “Walmart’s innovative new facility further solidifies Kansas’ position as one of the nation’s top food and agriculture states.”
“Since day one of her administration, Governor Kelly has been focused on creating and retaining good-paying jobs in our state,” said Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland. “The Walmart facility will provide solid career opportunities for hundreds of Kansas families in addition to benefitting the entire regional economy.”
”This is such great news,” said City of Olathe Mayor John Bacon. “We’re thrilled that Walmart chose Olathe for its innovative facility. This huge capital investment will help create more jobs that will greatly benefit the City of Olathe and our entire region.”
“We couldn’t be more excited about this state-of-the-art facility coming to Olathe,” said Olathe Chamber CEO Tim McKee. “We can’t thank Walmart, the State of Kansas and the City of Olathe enough for their help in bringing this facility, and so many great jobs, to our city. This is a huge economic development win for our community.”
Walmart operates 83 retail stores and employs 22,178 associates in the state of Kansas. In FYE22, stores, clubs and the Walmart Foundation gave $8.8 million in cash and in-kind donations to local Kansas organizations. More information on Walmart’s investment in Kansas can be found here.
About Walmart in Kansas
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online and through their mobile devices. In Kansas, we serve customers at 83 retail units and online through Walmart Online Grocery and Walmart.com. We are proud to employ 22,178 associates in Kansas. Walmart supports local businesses, spending over $726 million with Kansas suppliers in FYE23 and supporting 20,905 Kansas supplier jobs. Walmart continues to be a leader in employment opportunity, sustainability, and corporate philanthropy. In FY22, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation contributed $8.8 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofits in Kansas. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.