Amazon is taking its physical retail experiment to a whole new level. The company recently filed plans to build a giant 229,000-square-foot store in Orland Park, Illinois. This building would be significantly larger than the average Walmart Supercenter, which usually measures about 179,000 square feet.
The new store will serve as a one-stop shop. It will sell a wide range of items, including groceries, household essentials, and general merchandise. Planning documents show the building will also include a small warehouse section. This area will support the store’s daily tasks and provide a dedicated space for delivery drivers to pick up customer orders.
An Amazon spokesperson stated that the company regularly tests new ideas to make life easier for shoppers. They described the Orland Park site as a “new concept” that they believe will excite local customers.
This move shows that Amazon still wants a major presence in physical neighborhoods, even after dominating online shopping for years. The company made its biggest splash in the physical world back in 2017 when it bought Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Since then, Amazon has tried various formats, including bookstores, clothing shops, and convenience stores. While they closed or slowed down some of those earlier projects, this massive Illinois proposal proves they are still thinking big.
The project is already moving through the local government. The Orland Park Plan Commission approved the proposal on Tuesday. Now, it heads to the full village board for a final vote on January 19.
If the board says yes, the facility will replace Petey’s II, a local restaurant that closed in January 2024. The site sits in a prime location at the corner of two major highways. It would join a busy shopping district that already features big names like Target, Costco, and Trader Joe’s. However, some neighbors are worried. Many residents have spoken out against the plan, fearing that a store of this size will cause major traffic jams in the surrounding streets.
