Amazon is getting ready to test just how far its brand can stretch in the physical world, rolling out a Walmart-style supercenter in the Chicago suburbs that looks more like a logistics hub with shopping carts than a traditional store. The planned site in Orland Park is massive even by big-box standards, and it signals that the company is done dabbling at the edges of brick-and-mortar and is now going straight at the heart of Walmart’s turf.
Instead of another small-format experiment, Amazon is effectively building a one-stop shop where groceries, household basics, and general merchandise sit on top of a high-tech fulfillment engine. The move raises a blunt question for the rest of retail: if Amazon can turn its online playbook into a physical superstore, what exactly is left that is uniquely Walmart’s advantage?
Inside Amazon’s Chicago-area “supercenter” bet
The new project centers on a nearly 229,000-square-foot building in suburban Chicago that is designed to eclipse typical Walmart Supercenters and similar big-box rivals. The site, in Orland Park in Cook County, Illinois, is described as a one-story footprint roughly the size of a new Walmart Superstore, giving Amazon the kind of physical scale it has mostly avoided until now. Earlier this year, local officials in the Orland Park Plan backed the proposal, clearing the way for construction in the Chicago suburb.
Plans describe a format that blends a traditional supercenter layout with Amazon’s fulfillment DNA. The 229,000-square-foot location is slated to sell groceries, household goods, and general merchandise, while also supporting a heavy volume of online orders. In Orland Park, that method is expected to be scaled up to what planners described as an industrial level, with back-of-house operations designed to process a steady stream of click-and-collect and delivery traffic alongside in-store shoppers.
How the format borrows from, and challenges, Walmart
Amazon is not shy about who it is chasing. The company is advancing plans for a massive store in Orland Park that is explicitly described as Walmart-like, right down to the mix of groceries and general merchandise. One analysis notes that Amazon is planning a direct challenge to Walmart and Target with a footprint described as 228,000 or more square feet, a scale that puts it firmly in big-box territory. For shoppers, that means the familiar promise of one trip covering everything from milk and cereal to TVs and patio furniture, only this time with Amazon’s app and Prime perks baked into the experience.
At the same time, the design hints at a different kind of engine under the hood than a typical Walmart Supercenter. Retail analysts point out that the Orland Park project is being framed as larger than a, with a heavy emphasis on integrated store operations and delivery services. Another breakdown describes the building as a one-story, 229,000 square foot superstore that can receive online orders on site, essentially turning the sales floor into the front end of a mini fulfillment center. That hybrid model is where Amazon believes it can outflank incumbents, using its logistics muscle to make the store feel less like a warehouse and more like an instant extension of the website.
Local green light, national implications
For Orland Park, the project is both a retail win and a statement about where suburban shopping is heading. On Tuesday, the Orland Park Plan voted 6–1 to approve Amazon’s proposal in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, Illinois, clearing a key procedural hurdle. A separate report notes that a new store is slated for the Chicago suburbs and that Amazon is expected to come to the area with a mix of groceries, household essentials, and more. For local shoppers used to driving to existing Walmart Supercenters and regional malls, the arrival of a tech giant’s flagship store could reset weekend routines.
Nationally, the move is being watched as a test case for whether Amazon can finally crack the code on large-format retail after years of smaller experiments. One overview describes how Amazon is advancing to build a massive new retail store in Orland Park, a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, just southwest of Chicago, with an eye toward integrating store operations and delivery services. Another summary notes that Amazon is moving with what could be its largest store to date, a signal that this is not a one-off pop-up but a serious attempt to build a new format that could be replicated in other metro areas if it works.
The tech-heavy “back of house” that sets it apart
What really differentiates this project is not just the square footage, but what happens behind the scenes. In Orland Park, that method of blending retail and fulfillment is expected to be scaled up to an industrial level, with Amazon describing a technology driven back-of-house operation that can handle a high volume of online orders. One account of the project notes that the company laid out this approach during planning commission hearings in Orland Park, explaining how the store’s rear areas would function more like a compact fulfillment center than a traditional stockroom, with systems tuned for rapid picking and packing.
Industry observers see this as a logical extension of Amazon’s long-running effort to merge its digital and physical networks. A detailed discussion of the superstore concept describes how the one-story, 229,000 square foot building is meant to receive online orders on site, effectively turning the store into a neighborhood node in Amazon’s broader logistics grid. Another analysis underscores that the 229,000-square-foot location will sell groceries, household goods, and general merchandise while also feeding delivery routes, a combination that could shorten delivery windows for nearby Prime members and make curbside pickup feel almost instantaneous.
What this means for the next phase of the retail wars
For Walmart, Target, and every regional chain that has spent the last decade racing to add curbside pickup and ship-from-store capabilities, Amazon’s move into a full-scale supercenter is a clear escalation. One breakdown of the project notes that Amazon plans a superstore in suburban Chicago that surpasses typical Walmart Supercenters and signals a deeper push into brick-and-mortar. Another report frames the project as part of a broader strategy in which Amazon is planning a direct challenge to Walmart and Target by committing to the big-box format instead of nibbling at the edges with smaller specialty stores.
Retail watchers are already sketching out what a rollout could look like if Orland Park hits its marks. One analysis of the concept notes that Amazon plans to a nearly 225,000-square-foot retail store in Orland Park, a village in Cook County, Illino, positioning it as a prototype that could be cloned in other high-traffic suburbs. Another report, featuring a rendering of the future superstore outside of Chicago, highlights how Todd Bishop and others see the Orland Park site as a sign that Amazon is supersizing its rivalry with Walmart in a very literal way. If the company can make a tech-heavy, 229,000-square-foot store feel as easy as tapping “Buy Now” on a phone, the next phase of the retail wars will not just be about who has more locations, but who can turn every square foot into part of a seamless, always-on shopping network.
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