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Home Depot acquires Simpl Automation for fulfillment operations

The Home Depot announced its acquisition of warehouse technology company Simpl Automation.

The retailer did not disclose terms of the deal in its April 15 press release. However, Home Depot shared that Simpl’s expertise in automation and technology will make its same-day and next-day fulfillment faster and more efficient.

Currently, The Home Depot ranks fourth in the Top 2000 Database. The Digital Commerce 360 database ranks North America’s largest online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales and more.

Why Home Depot is acquiring Simpl

“By bringing Simpl’s industry-leading automation into our operations, we’re accelerating the flow of products through our distribution network to deliver with unprecedented speed and precision,” said Amit Kalra, senior vice president of supply chain at The Home Depot, in a written statement.

The acquisition comes after a pilot at Home Depot’s Locus Grove, Georgia, distribution center location. The pilot was a success, the home improvement retailer said. It drove faster pick-up speeds, faster cycle times and fewer product touches, according to Home Depot.

Before being acquired by Home Depot, Simpl worked with Staples at the office supply retailer’s Montgomery, New York, fulfillment center.

As part of an experiment with automation in fulfillment, Staples developed an automated storage and retrieval system in partnership with Simpl Automation.

In September 2025, Home Depot completed its GMS acquisition for $5.5 billion. That brought GMS, a specialty building products distributor, under Home Depot’s subsidiary. Home Depot completed its SRS Distribution acquisition in June 2024.

Home Depot’s focus on fulfillment

Acquiring Simpl Automation is just one piece in Home Depot’s focus on supply chain improvements through automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the retailer said.

“We’re focused on providing the best interconnected experience in home improvement by having products in stock and ready to deliver to our customers whether it’s to the home or jobsite,” Kalra said.

In a discussion of financial results for fiscal Q4 ended Feb. 1, 2026, Home Depot executives discussed recent changes to improve efficiency and reliability across its fulfillment operations. Home Depot gave delivery drivers handheld devices to track delivery status and progress at job sites. 

That allowed the retailer to introduce real-time tracking to large items, like appliances and lumber, to give customers improved visibility into their deliveries, executive vice president of customer experience and president of online Jordan Broggi told investors.

Home Depot’s growth in fiscal Q4

Fulfillment and logistics are only part of Home Depot’s full financial picture.

Home Depot online sales grew 11% year over year in its fiscal Q4, accounting for 11% of total sales during the period.

Online sales continue to grow, and the retailer fulfills more than half of those orders through its stores, making growing fulfillment efficiency a major priority. 

Total sales in the quarter grew to $38.2 billion, of 0.3% from the period in the previous year. For the full fiscal year, sales grew 3.2% to $164.7 billion.

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The post Home Depot acquires Simpl Automation for fulfillment operations appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.



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