Responding to what it says is a market demand, the Walmart Corporation has announced plans to build fuel stations across the country in the coming year.
In a statement, Dave DeSerio, Walmart vice-president of fuel and convenience, said the new stations are part of a larger plan to “invest in our nationwide, physical store footprint.”
In building what is estimated to be several dozen new stations, continued DeSerio, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart will be “bringing even more value to our customers.”
Altogether, the company is aiming to either build or upgrade 45 stations in some 34 states before the end of this year, with reports indicating that that number may increase in 2026.
Once the new facilities are completed it will increase Walmart’s nationwide fuel station total countywide to around 450, accounting for just under 10% of its 4,600 store locations.
Walmart’s initial significant foray into the fuel station business was announced in 2016 when the company revealed plans to build anywhere from 50 to 60 such facilities at its Supercenter locations, along with around 90 at its new Neighborhood Market outlets.
The fuel stations have often been built at the edge of each store site, with an average of 14 pumps.
How many of the other 90% or so of Walmart locations may also eventually see construction of a fuel station is currently unknown. But the publication C-Store Dive notes that that large number of locations represents a “large runway for Walmart to become more of a thorn in convenience store retailers’ sides.”
April 4, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Walmart
