C-Store Master to Open Robotic Distribution Warehouse

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Convenience distributor C-Store Master broke ground on a 120,000-square-foot automated warehouse on Oct. 6.

The $12-million facility is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2021 and will be the only one of its kind in the United States, according to the company.

The warehouse, located in Huntsville, will create 40 jobs for which C-Store Master will be hiring over the next few months.

"Huntsville is the perfect place for our work because of its booming business environment and central location to the entire Southeast," said Sharan Kalva, C-Store Master chief operating officer. "We believe this cutting edge warehouse paired with our innovative software will continue to set us apart from our competitors."

C-Store Mastered partnered with global technology company Geek+ to incorporate three robot technologies in the new warehouse to improve accuracy to 99.99 percent. The multi-level shuttle system is the first of its kind in the Southeast.

"C-Store Master's robots will increase their productivity by three to four times," said Rick DeFiesta, Geek+ director of business development and partnership. "We're proud to partner with their team on this efficiency to help provide even quicker service for their customers."

Huntsville-based C-Store Master specializes in the tobacco and beverage categories and services more than 2,000 independent c-stores and 4,000-plus chain stores throughout the Southeast, including more than 3,000 Circle K stores.