LUMBERTON — The 135,287-square-foot building on Dawn Drive that once housed a Sam’s Club store is now accepting orders as an eCommerce Fulfillment Center.
The center, still owned by Sam’s Club, tested its first mock shipment on April 8 and officially began accepting orders on April 9. The first orders, two packages of Community Coffee, were shipped to a member in Arnaudville, La. The center has more than 250,000 cubic feet of storage capacity and includes the inventory of nearly 2,000 of the most purchased items on SamsClub.com.
The company recently completed the transformation of the Lumberton brick-and-mortar retail store into an e-commerce-only fulfillment center to serve online members. This new facility is part of Sam’s Club’s plan to strategically place multiple e-commerce centers across the country to better compete with online competitors such as Amazon, BJ’s and Costco.
When talk of the closed store possibly becoming a fulfillment center started, local economic leaders said the building’s location near Exit 22 on Interstate 95 lent itself to the creation of an excellent commercial distribution point. The exit is well-placed for economic growth, with high-end shopping and restaurants nearby. Wal-Mart, owner of the Sam’s Club chain, estimated that 59,000 vehicles per day pass the location.
The Lumberton Sam’s Club store, which operated for 11 years, was among 63 stores across the United States closed by Sam’s Club at the beginning of 2018. Company officials said at the time that 12 of the closed stores would be re-purposed as distribution center. The idea was to locate them along or near major roads and interstates for quick distribution to consumers who order online.
About 100 people lost their jobs when the local store closed. The center is now in the process of hiring.
“At this time we’ve hired more than 30 associates and continue to reconnect with local individuals we’ve recently interviewed for additional positions available,” said Laura Ladd Poff, senior manager of Corporate Communications for Sam’s.
The center will hire up to 150 associates during its busiest seasons, Bill Ball, Sam’s Club supply chair senior director, said in January.
An official grand opening for the Lumberton e-commerce center will take place this summer.
