When Walmart moved into its current headquarters in 1971–a converted warehouse in Bentonville, Arkansas–it was still a young retailer, operating in just five states. Today, Walmart has more than 11,000 stores worldwide, along with millions of associates that serve hundreds of millions of customers every day.
Suffice it to say, nearly 50 years later, we know that one giant building filled with endless fluorescent lighting and blue cubicles isn’t the most productive way to manage the world’s biggest retail chain. The dated floor plan of a conventional office building also isn’t in line with the retail brand’s contemporary reinvention as a digitally savvy, design-powered, future-forward Amazon hunter.
That’s why Walmart is investing in a brand-new campus, which the retail giant publicly announced today. The complex of buildings, set across 350 acres of native-seeded greenery in Bentonville, will create a new hub for 10,000 people on Walmart’s central office team.
“I think the most important thing is how this is really giving our associates a new experience,” says Walmart spokesperson Anne Hatfield. “Nature, sustainable living, new food options, destination dining throughout the campus. Really, that improved experience that also embraces the beauty of the area.”