Walmart Expands Operations in China with New Mega Store in Tianjin
The retail giant's latest investment aims to meet growing consumer demands in the northern region.
Tianjin, May 21 -- Walmart has initiated the construction of its largest Sam's Club in northern China, marking a significant expansion of its footprint in the Chinese retail market.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility, which spans 25,000 square meters, took place in Tianjin Municipality and is scheduled to open in 2026.
This new Sam's Club will adopt an omnichannel model that integrates a physical retail space with 20 digital fulfillment centers, intended to cater to premium and diversified consumption needs in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
As the third Sam's Club location in Tianjin, this development positions the city as a key hub in Walmart's broader regional strategy.
Since establishing its presence in China with its first store in Shenzhen in 1996, Walmart's Sam's Club has expanded to 55 operational outlets across the country.
In 2024, the warehouse membership chain achieved a significant milestone with annual revenue surpassing 100 billion yuan (approximately 13.9 billion U.S. dollars).
Additionally, Walmart China reported 6.7 billion U.S. dollars in net sales during the first quarter of 2025, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 22.5 percent.
Christina Zhu, President and CEO of Walmart China, expressed pride in the growth of Sam's Club in the region during a recent Investment Community Meeting.
She highlighted that eight Sam's Clubs in China are anticipated to exceed 500 million U.S. dollars in annual sales this year.
Walmart has accelerated its investments in China, having announced plans in December 2023 to open six to seven new Sam's Clubs annually.
Currently, several projects are in progress across various regions, including Beijing, Guangdong, and Zhejiang.
The success of Sam's Club aligns with China’s expanding import sector, which reached a record over 18 trillion yuan in 2024. China continues to hold its status as the world's second-largest consumer market and the leading online retail market, with total retail sales of consumer goods increasing by 4.6 percent year-on-year to 12.47 trillion yuan in the first quarter of 2025.
According to economist Yu Yongding from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China's advantages include its economic scale, market capacity, robust industrial system, and human capital, all contributing to enhanced economic resilience.
Despite facing global protectionist trends, China welcomed 12,603 new foreign-invested enterprises in the first quarter of this year, with actual foreign direct investment rising by 13.2 percent year-on-year in March.
Yu noted that multinationals such as Walmart demonstrate their confidence in China's economic vitality and market attractiveness through their capital investments.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility, which spans 25,000 square meters, took place in Tianjin Municipality and is scheduled to open in 2026.
This new Sam's Club will adopt an omnichannel model that integrates a physical retail space with 20 digital fulfillment centers, intended to cater to premium and diversified consumption needs in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
As the third Sam's Club location in Tianjin, this development positions the city as a key hub in Walmart's broader regional strategy.
Since establishing its presence in China with its first store in Shenzhen in 1996, Walmart's Sam's Club has expanded to 55 operational outlets across the country.
In 2024, the warehouse membership chain achieved a significant milestone with annual revenue surpassing 100 billion yuan (approximately 13.9 billion U.S. dollars).
Additionally, Walmart China reported 6.7 billion U.S. dollars in net sales during the first quarter of 2025, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 22.5 percent.
Christina Zhu, President and CEO of Walmart China, expressed pride in the growth of Sam's Club in the region during a recent Investment Community Meeting.
She highlighted that eight Sam's Clubs in China are anticipated to exceed 500 million U.S. dollars in annual sales this year.
Walmart has accelerated its investments in China, having announced plans in December 2023 to open six to seven new Sam's Clubs annually.
Currently, several projects are in progress across various regions, including Beijing, Guangdong, and Zhejiang.
The success of Sam's Club aligns with China’s expanding import sector, which reached a record over 18 trillion yuan in 2024. China continues to hold its status as the world's second-largest consumer market and the leading online retail market, with total retail sales of consumer goods increasing by 4.6 percent year-on-year to 12.47 trillion yuan in the first quarter of 2025.
According to economist Yu Yongding from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China's advantages include its economic scale, market capacity, robust industrial system, and human capital, all contributing to enhanced economic resilience.
Despite facing global protectionist trends, China welcomed 12,603 new foreign-invested enterprises in the first quarter of this year, with actual foreign direct investment rising by 13.2 percent year-on-year in March.
Yu noted that multinationals such as Walmart demonstrate their confidence in China's economic vitality and market attractiveness through their capital investments.
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