Sam’s Club will open a new location in Lebanon, Tennessee on July 30, marking the warehouse retailer’s expansion into the state as it accelerates its growth strategy nationwide. The Lebanon store, located about 30 miles east of Nashville on Willard Hagan Drive, will be Sam’s Club’s 15th location in Tennessee and reflects the company’s commitment to increasing its physical footprint.
The Tennessee opening is part of a broader 2026 expansion plan that Sam’s Club recently expanded. The company initially announced six new locations but confirmed on July 2 that it had added a seventh store to its slate, bringing the total to seven new warehouses opening this year across three states.
According to USA Today, which cited Sam’s Club spokesperson Katelynn Gorton, the new locations include one in Tennessee, two in California (Lathrop and Visalia), and four in Texas (Baytown, Katy, Tomball, and Weslaco). The Baytown store spans 169,570 square feet and is part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area expansion.
This year’s openings follow Sam’s Club’s 2025 debut in Tempe, Arizona, and represent the early phase of a more ambitious long-term strategy. In April 2025, CEO Chris Nicholas announced that Sam’s Club plans to open approximately 15 new locations per year “for the foreseeable future,” according to CNBC and Grocery Dive. The retailer currently operates around 600 locations nationwide.
The expansion is tied to Sam’s Club’s goal to double its membership, sales, and profits over the next 8 to 10 years. The company plans to remodel all of its existing 600 locations as part of the reinvestment effort, combining new-store growth with modernization of its current footprint. This dual strategy positions Sam’s Club to compete more aggressively in the warehouse club market, where Costco remains the dominant player but Sam’s Club and other competitors have been gaining member interest.
The Lebanon store opening was initially estimated for early 2026 but experienced a delay, according to The Tennessean. The store will also showcase Sam’s Club’s new branding and design, which the company has been rolling out at newly opened and remodeled locations to enhance the shopping experience.
Sources
- USA Today — Confirmed July 30 opening date in Lebanon, Tennessee, the addition of a seventh location to 2026 plans, and the full list of new store locations across three states.
- The Tennessean — Reported the July 30 opening date and location details on Willard Hagan Drive, noting the initial early-2026 estimate was delayed.
- CNBC — Covered CEO Chris Nicholas’s announcement of 15 new stores per year expansion plans and the remodeling of all 600 existing locations.
- Grocery Dive — Reported on Sam’s Club’s 15-store-per-year expansion target and the goal to double membership, sales, and profits over 8-10 years.
