Here's What Walmart's New Headquarters Will Look Like

Walmart Inc. has finally revealed the details of its new headquarters, which will break ground this summer in its current home city of Bentonville, Ark.

The large campus is expected to be up and running by 2024, and will open in phases starting in 2020. Notable features will include plenty of natural light, expanded food offerings, convenient parking, fitness options and a child care facility. There will also be plenty of outdoor flexible workspaces, neighborhood bike trails and lakes.

Dan Bartlett, EVP of corporate affairs, said Walmart has spent the past several years imagining its “dream home,” and the final mockup “reflects our values, honors our history and enables our potential.”

Photograph courtesy of Walmart

Additionally, Bartlett shared that a modern, connected campus is also among the goals in hopes of accelerating Walmart’s digital transformation and helping “attract the next generation of talent with state-of-the-art technology and contemporary conveniences.”

Walmart officials say its current home office, a series of low-slung and drab buildings around Bentonville, have not kept pace with the growth of the company or helped to attract talent. 

The campus will also be designed with sustainability in mind, boasting solar panels on parking decks, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems, and regionally sourced building materials, including mass timber construction. Local greenery will provide habitats for local wildlife, which will tie into the nature-oriented design.

Of the decision to remain in Bentonville, Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, said “Arkansas has been good to us, and there’s nowhere else we’d rather call home,” adding that “when I imagine the next 60 years, I can’t help but smile at the possibilities.”

Photograph courtesy of Walmart

Bartlett said company officials hoped to develop a place where associates are inspired to collaborate and do their best work.

“It’s about delivering creative, innovative and inspired solutions for our customers, every day. And it’s about our associates feeling at home here, regardless of where they’re from,” he said.