By Catherine Muccigrosso
The Charlotte Observer
Lowe’s is expanding for faster home delivery nationwide.
Over the next 18 months, the North Carolina-based home improvement company will open 50 delivery terminals, seven distribution centers and four e-commerce fulfillment centers, Lowe’s announced Wednesday.
The goal is to enable faster e-commerce shipping with more same-day and next-day delivery across the country, the company said in a news release said.
“Opening these new facilities will allow our stores to operate more efficiently … and improve the customer experience with more predictable deliveries, better in-stock rates and faster fulfillment options,” Don Frieson, Lowe’s executive vice president of supply chain, said in the release.
A West Coast e-commerce fulfillment center in Mira Loma, Calif., will open in October. The company did not immediately say where the other centers are going up in the next 18 months.
The Mira Loma site will be Lowe’s second direct fulfillment center after opening its first one two years ago in Nashville, Tenn., with capacity to ship up to 100,000 packages daily, according to the company website.
“This direct fulfillment center will improve two-day delivery options to reach nearly 100% of customers nationwide,” the release said.
The 1.1 million-square-foot Nashville facility is expected to employ 600 people by the time it is fully operational in 2023, according to the company website.
Two years ago, Lowe’s said it would invest $1.7 billion to expand its distribution network through 2023, and with third-party partners, create nearly 5,000 jobs, according to the release.
Lowe’s has already opened more than 13 facilities across the country in Chicago, Orlando, Fla., Riverside, Calif. and Columbus, Ohio. The sites vary in size to hold small items or large products like appliances, grills and outdoor power equipment.
Lowe’s has more than 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and about 300,000 employees.
