Amazon’s Biggest Gamble Yet: Can a 230,000-Square-Foot "Mega-Store" Out-Walmart Walmart?
For years, Amazon has been the undisputed king of the "click." But when it comes to the "brick," the crown still belongs to Walmart. Despite owning Whole Foods and launching various experimental shops, Amazon only holds a tiny 3% slice of the $1 trillion U.S. grocery market.
That is about to change. Amazon is moving from experimentation to escalation with its most aggressive physical retail play yet: a massive, 230,000-square-foot mega-store.
The "Big Box" Strategy: Chicago as the Battleground
Scheduled to open in 2027 in Orland Park, Illinois, this new concept is designed to be a "one-stop shop." To put the scale into perspective, it will be significantly larger than a typical Walmart Supercenter (which averages 173,000 square feet).
Located at a high-traffic intersection already home to Costco, Target, and Walmart, Amazon isn't just joining the neighborhood—it’s picking a fight.
The Store at a Glance:
Size: 230,000 square feet on a 35-acre site.
Jobs: 500 new positions for the community.
Inventory: A hybrid of fresh groceries, household essentials, and general merchandise.
The "No-Go" Clause: Local officials approved the project on the condition it remains a consumer-facing retail store, not an e-commerce fulfillment center. This means Amazon has to make the retail side work; there is no "Plan B" to turn it into a warehouse.
More Than Just a Grocery Store
What makes this store different from your local supermarket? Amazon is blending its digital DNA with physical aisles.
The "Split-Store" Model: Roughly half the store will be for traditional browsing. The back half will serve as a high-tech fulfillment zone for same-day delivery and pickup.
The In-Store Kiosk: Imagine ordering a heavy 40lb bag of dog food via a kiosk while you shop for produce, and having it waiting at the curb or checkout by the time you’re done.
The "Whole Foods" Influence: We’ve already seen hints of this in Pennsylvania, where Amazon added automated micro-fulfillment centers to Whole Foods, allowing shoppers to grab name-brand items (like Tide or Oreos) that aren’t typically stocked at the organic grocer.
Why Now? The "Prime" Ceiling
Why is the world’s e-commerce giant so obsessed with physical stores? Because they’ve hit a wall.
With roughly 75% of American adults already subscribed to Prime, Amazon’s online growth is reaching a natural plateau. To keep growing, they have to win where 80% of shopping still happens: in person. However, Amazon’s track record in physical retail is spotty at best:
Amazon Books: Shuttered.
Amazon 4-star: Shuttered.
Amazon Style: Shuttered.
Amazon Go/Fresh: Dozens of closures and "pauses" in expansion.
The Bottom Line: Technology vs. Tradition
As retail analysts point out, Amazon’s previous failures often stemmed from focusing too much on the tech (like cashier-less checkout) and not enough on the experience.
To beat Walmart at its own game, Amazon can’t just be a high-tech warehouse with a front door. It has to give shoppers a reason to break their decades-long loyalty to the local Supercenter. In 2027, we’ll find out if Amazon can finally speak the language of the physical shopper.