Walmart Opens Largest Prescription-Processing Facility
Walmart has opened one of its largest centralized prescription processing facility to date, in Frederick, Md. The 102,000-square-foot state-of-the-art site is designed to fulfill up to 100,000 prescriptions a day, supporting more than 700 stores across 16 states and Washington, D.C.
With this launch, Walmart continues to scale its Central Fill operations to meet the growing demand for faster, more convenient pharmacy services, including online shopping with fast delivery of prescriptions, as well as pharmacist-provided clinical services such as immunizations and testing and treatment for strep throat, flu and COVID.
At the start of the year, Walmart expanded its pilot test of same-day pharmacy delivery to offer that service to customers across 49 states. Walmart’s tech investments have enabled the availability of same-day pharmacy orders that can now be integrated with general merchandise and grocery orders.
The new Central Fill facility in Maryland uses advanced pharmacy automation with dynamic weighting systems, robotic carriers and an expansive conveyance route to streamline every step of prescription fulfillment, from pill counting and labeling to capping and sorting. It employs pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, as well as patient safety associates combining expert oversight with leading-edge efficiency.
By shifting fulfillment to centralized facilities, in-store pharmacists gain more time for such clinical services as immunizations, diabetes management, testing and treatment, and patient counseling.
“This facility represents the next chapter in how we care for our customers,” said Kevin Host, SVP of pharmacy at Walmart. “With greater efficiency behind the scenes, our pharmacists can spend more time in front of patients — offering expert guidance, building trust and delivering better health outcomes.”
Two more facilities are in development — one in Phoenix and another in Republic, Mo., — and are expected to open in 2026. By the end of 2026, Walmart is expected to have its Central Fill network provide coverage to nearly 90% of all of its pharmacies.
Each week, approximately 270 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 10,750 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries. With FY2025 revenue of $681 billion, the company employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America
