Macy’s Unveils New Fulfillment Center

Macy’s Inc. has pressed the “start” button at a new, 2.5 million-square-foot customer fulfillment/store replenishment center in China Grove, N.C. The state-of-the-art omnichannel facility reflects the brand’s efforts to upgrade its its supply chain network, as it also works to close underperforming stores and focus even more on luxury retail.

“The opening of our China Grove facility is a significant step in modernizing our supply chain and elevating the customer experience across every channel – with faster deliveries, well-stocked stores and seamless service,” COO/CFO Tom Edwards said in a news release. “With this investment, we’re building a faster, more efficient and agile network designed to meet our customers’ needs today and in the future.”

China Grove is the company’s third site to utilize high-performance automation and the first to operate with an advanced warehouse management system. With the addition of the latter new system, the retailer expects to achieve even greater gains in efficiency and accuracy of fulfillment and store replenishment, while establishing a model to scale this technology across its network in the years ahead.

“Over the past two years, we’ve tested and learned from automation at other sites, refining how it can make our operations more efficient and our colleagues work safer and smarter,” said Sean Barbour, SVP of Supply Chain Operations. “Now, we’re building on those lessons with our most advanced deployment yet including the debut of a new warehouse management system that will provide greater accuracy, flexibility, and speed.”

Headquartered in New York, the retailer operates 680-plus stores under the Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and bluemercury flags.