Ross Stores is investing $500 million in a 1.75 million-square-foot processing and distribution center in Bakersfield, California, according to a press release from the City of Bakersfield.

The facility becomes the off-price retailer's tenth distribution center. Ross already operates three other sites in California, plus facilities in Buckeye, Arizona, and Brookshire, Texas, according to the company's website. On the East Coast, the network includes one distribution center in Pennsylvania and two in South Carolina.

The multiyear project breaks ground in 2027. The city expects the buildout to create nearly 1,000 new jobs. Ross did not respond to a request for more details by the time of publication.

What it means for shippers and carriers

For logistics providers serving the Southern California inbound corridor, the commitment signals sustained volume growth well into the decade. A facility of this scale in Bakersfield sits inland from the Los Angeles–Long Beach port complex, positioning Ross to pull containers deeper into the Central Valley and shift drayage and linehaul demand toward Interstate 5 and State Route 99 corridors.

Nearly 1,000 new jobs will tighten an already competitive warehouse labor market in Kern County, and carriers serving the region should expect incremental demand for transloading, regional truckload and dedicated fleet capacity as the site ramps toward full throughput.

For Ross itself, a tenth node adds processing capacity — a critical constraint for off-price retailers, whose merchandise mix depends on high-turn handling of opportunistic buys rather than forecast-driven replenishment.

Retail momentum behind the build

The investment follows a brick-and-mortar push. Earlier this year, Ross announced plans to open 47 new stores: 35 Ross Dress for Less locations and 12 DD's Discounts sites. In August, the retailer reported comparable sales up 10% year over year in Q2 on rising customer traffic, with total Q2 sales climbing 13% YoY.

Ross is not alone in adding distribution capacity. Fellow off-price retailer Burlington announced a high-tech distribution center in Georgia this year plus another site in Arizona. Dollar Tree opened a 1 million-square-foot distribution center in Arizona in May as part of its logistics resiliency push.

The pattern points to a broader bet among discount and off-price players: store growth only works when backend processing capacity keeps pace. With ground broken in 2027 and a multiyear construction timeline ahead, the Bakersfield site will anchor Ross's West Coast distribution capacity — and the freight demand it generates — well into the next decade.