Amazon to Build Its Largest Store Ever, Covering 21,368 Sq. M, With Hybrid Retail and Logistics Capacity and Enough Space to House a Costco, Target, or Even a Walmart Supercenter

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 22/01/2026 at 08:00

Updated on 22/01/2026 at 08:06

Imagem: Ilustração artística

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Project Envisions 21,368 Square Foot Unit in Orland Park, Suburbs of Chicago, Integrating In-Store Sales and Online Order Distribution, Expanding Amazon’s Physical Presence After Irregular Past Experiences

Amazon announced the opening of its largest physical store, at 21,368 square feet, in the outskirts of Chicago, combining traditional retail and a distribution center for online orders, in a move that expands its physical presence after an irregular history in this format.

Project Expands Physical Presence in the Suburbs of Chicago

The new store will open in Orland Park, Illinois, with dimensions considered sufficient to house a Costco, a Target, or even a Walmart Supercenter.

At 21,368 square feet, the property has been designed to become the largest store ever operated by Amazon, surpassing previous formats tested by the company.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Half of the Space Will Be Dedicated to Traditional Retail

Approximately half of the area will be used to sell groceries, diapers, paper towels, and prepared food on-site, according to information from Amazon.

This space was designed to serve in-person consumers, expanding the offer of essential products in a single shopping environment.

The strategy seeks to integrate physical convenience with the company’s established logistics in e-commerce, reinforcing regional reach.

Store Will Also Function as a Distribution Center

The other half of the structure will be dedicated to fulfilling online orders and those from the store itself, operating as an integrated logistics center.

Amazon stated that the operation will allow for sorting, preparing, and dispatching orders directly from the location, speeding up deliveries in the area.

The model combines retail and distribution in a single spot, reducing operational steps and concentrating logistics flows at the same address.

Dimension Places Unit Among the Largest in Retail

The project envisions a total area of 230,000 square feet (approx. 70 km), a size capable of accommodating nearly two medium-sized Target stores.

The comparison reinforces the scale of the initiative and positions Amazon at a similar level to established major chains.

The company bets that the large size will allow for operational flexibility and better use of the available physical space.

Infrastructure Investment Context Remains Strong

Construction companies and developers do not expect many commercial projects this year, except in the data center segment, according to FMI estimates.

Expenditures on data center construction are expected to grow 23% by 2026, driven by companies like Amazon and Google.

According to Jay Bowman, partner at FMI, money is not an issue for these companies, which continue financing billions in new ventures, maintaining their pace of operational expansion.

This article was prepared based on information released by Amazon and estimates from the FMI consulting firm.

With information from The Wall Street Journal.

Amazon to Build Its Largest Store Ever, Covering 21,368 Sq. M, With Hybrid Retail and Logistics Capacity and Enough Space to House a Costco, Target, or Even a Walmart Supercenter

Project Envisions 21,368 Square Foot Unit in Orland Park, Suburbs of Chicago, Integrating In-Store Sales and Online Order Distribution, Expanding Amazon’s Physical Presence After Irregular Past Experiences

Project Expands Physical Presence in the Suburbs of Chicago

Half of the Space Will Be Dedicated to Traditional Retail

Store Will Also Function as a Distribution Center

Dimension Places Unit Among the Largest in Retail

Infrastructure Investment Context Remains Strong

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Amazon to Build Its Largest Store Ever, Covering 21,368 Sq. M, With Hybrid Retail and Logistics Capacity and Enough Space to House a Costco, Target, or Even a Walmart Supercenter

Project Envisions 21,368 Square Foot Unit in Orland Park, Suburbs of Chicago, Integrating In-Store Sales and Online Order Distribution, Expanding Amazon’s Physical Presence After Irregular Past Experiences

Project Expands Physical Presence in the Suburbs of Chicago

Half of the Space Will Be Dedicated to Traditional Retail

Store Will Also Function as a Distribution Center

Dimension Places Unit Among the Largest in Retail

Infrastructure Investment Context Remains Strong

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

Spain installs two giant pipelines 2.2 km off the coast to draw water from the Mediterranean and supply a megafacility capable of producing 200 million liters of drinking water per day.

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Forget common renewable energy: HydroWing prepares a 10 MW project in Indonesia to transform ocean currents into predictable electricity, using turbines installed on the seabed in a region where the funnel effect between islands increases tidal potential.

While most dealerships in Brazil take days to deliver cars, in Germany two 48-meter glass towers hold 800 vehicles and release each model via automatic elevators in a few seconds.

Goodbye to workers assembling rebar on construction sites: intelligent robot carries and positions more than 2.2 tons of rebar per hour, ties 1,200 intersections per hour, and promises to cut up to 50% of the schedule in bridge construction projects.

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