Walmart will invest $1.3 billion in Chile, with plans to build 70 new stores across all formats and add a ninth distribution center (DC) in the country’s remote southern region. The five-year investment plan will create 4,000 new jobs in the country.
“This is not just an investment in infrastructure and technology; it is an investment in people, in communities,” said Cristián Barrientos, President and CEO of Walmart Chile in a statement. “We are building a better future for everyone, for future generations and for our children.”
The announcement was made in Punta Arenas, the location of the southernmost Walmart store in the world, which is named Lider and located more than 2,000 miles from the country’s central DC. Weather can be extreme in this region; temperatures in 2024 reached -15˚ F, resulting in road closures and challenges crossing borders.
To keep supplies flowing, Walmart has created supply chain routes by land, air and sea, or a combination of routes, to reach the Lider store. Walmart also uses a reserve storage system called “El Oso” (the bear) for when conditions become too treacherous, helping ensure customers in this area get the essentials they need. Additionally, the Puntas Arenas team has created an ecommerce strategy for delivering products via ferry to the 25 residents of Puerto Toro, the southernmost permanently inhabited community on earth.
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“Stories like these are what drives us,” said Barrientos. “For this reason, the impact of Walmart Chile is not only in Punta Arenas; our value proposition aims to reach every corner of Chile: from Putre in the far north to Biobío in the central south.” In fact, Walmart’s investment in Chile will support expansions into new regions of the country including Vallenar, Los Vilos and Pozo Almonte.
Additionally, the investment includes measures to mitigate climate change. Solar panels will be incorporated into more than 50 stores, meaning that more than 80% of Walmart Chile’s energy will be renewable, and 25 new recycling points will be added across the country by 2025.
