Maersk will run Puma's entire North American distribution network — three AutoStore-equipped facilities totaling about 2.3 million square feet — under an agreement announced Sept. 24, with spare capacity in the sites to be resold to other Maersk customers.

The deal covers distribution centers in Torrance, California; Phoenix; and Whitestown, Indiana, according to the press release. Maersk will manage operations to streamline product movement and processing across the network.

The arrangement extends a long-standing partnership in which Maersk already provides Puma with ocean shipping, air freight, fulfillment, customs services and inland transportation.

Why is Maersk sharing the warehouses?

The commercial logic cuts both ways. Puma gets an integrated operator running its physical distribution footprint, while Maersk acquires capacity it can monetize beyond the sportswear brand.

"Many companies are looking for ways to get more value from the logistics infrastructure they've already invested in," said Dave Hune, North America head of Maersk contract logistics.

The Torrance facility is the strategic centerpiece. It will host Maersk's first deployment of AutoStore technology supporting multiple client operations. Starting in 2027, the site will offer capacity to other brands needing automated order fulfillment near air and ocean gateways, with throughput capability of roughly 20 million units per year.

For shippers, that means a new source of automated West Coast fulfillment capacity within two years. For competitors in contract logistics, it signals Maersk intends to fill anchor-client warehouses with third-party volume rather than run them as single-tenant sites.

What does AutoStore bring to the operation?

AutoStore is an automated storage and retrieval system that uses software to manage fulfillment. Inventory sits in a compact Grid, and robots retrieve goods and bring them directly to employees at workstations for picking and packing.

Puma will use the automation technology inside its facilities to manage inventory as part of the agreement.

How far has Maersk pushed beyond ocean?

The Puma deal is the latest step in Maersk's push into end-to-end logistics — warehouse, distribution and fulfillment capabilities that sit alongside its container shipping core. The company frames the Puma partnership as a way to connect physical assets, transportation networks and technology.

"As supply chains become increasingly complex, fulfillment plays a growing role in helping businesses position inventory closer to demand, respond more quickly to market changes and serve consumers across channel," the company said.

The track record is building. Maersk already handles fulfillment and distribution for Levi Strauss & Co., opening a fulfillment center for the retailer in 2024 to expand its omnichannel capabilities. In July, it opened a $100 million facility in Hopedale, Massachusetts, serving an undisclosed large-scale e-commerce customer.

The pattern is consistent: land an anchor tenant, then fill residual capacity with additional clients. The Torrance multi-client AutoStore deployment starting in 2027 will test that model at scale near the Los Angeles-area gateway complex.