US rural lifestyle retailer Tractor Supply has opened its largest distribution centre at Maumelle, Arkansas.  

Measuring 1.1 million square feet, the facility will cater to 250 stores across the Southeast, Midwest and Texas, and handle digital orders within the region. 

Built with a $175m investment, the Maumelle outlet is Tractor Supply's first to extensively use autonomous mobile robots for small item fulfilment. 

The facility will serve as a testing ground for other robotics technologies aimed at cutting costs and enhancing productivity.  

The Maumelle distribution centre features a solar array of 10,000 panels, projected to produce a total of five million kilowatts of electricity annually.  

The initiative will reduce the facility's carbon footprint by 4,100 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. 

Tractor Supply plans to get LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] Gold certification for the facility, which will create 500 full-time jobs. 

Tractor Supply president and CEO Hal Lawton said: "Our distribution centres play a critical role in our commitment to being a dependable supplier for our customers.

“Each one of our more than 2,200 stores has to have what our customers need when they need it. As more people embrace this lifestyle and we continue to open new stores across the US, our new distribution centre in Maumelle will help ensure that we are there for our customers when they need us, providing the legendary service they have come to know and love.” 

The opening event was attended by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Maumelle mayor Caleb Norris, team members and other state and local representatives.  

The company, which opened its first Arkansas store in 1960, now operates 39 stores statewide, alongside eight Petsense by Tractor Supply locations.  

The company operated 2,233 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states as of 30 March 2024.