Amazon's preliminary plan calls for over 1,000 same-day delivery sites

Amazon's preliminary same-day delivery plan would put more than 1,000 facilities within 10 miles of 80% of U.S. Prime members, according to planning documents Business Insider reported in September. Amazon says the material is subject to significant revision.

The documents, code-named Project Mercury, describe roughly 90,000 frequently purchased items, from cough medicine to paper towels, made almost instantly available. Amazon's own wording keeps the plan at the proposal stage: the documents, it said, are "subject to significant revision, and shouldn't be treated as finalized plans." Spokesperson Steve Kelly said the company is "focused on delivering faster for customers, and the expansion of our same-day delivery network is playing a big role in that."

For fund sponsors and allocators, the usable number is the radius: 10 miles from 80% of Prime members. A portfolio can be screened against that circle before a bid, showing which buildings sit inside it, how much of the rent roll depends on tenants whose customers expect same-day delivery, and what a competing delivery operator would pay for the same space. The same test suggests a harder case for industrial assets outside the circle, because proximity to Prime households is the plan's organizing principle.

E-commerce accounted for 18.9% of all U.S. retail sales in the first quarter of 2026, according to CompStak, above the previous 16.3% record set during the depth of the pandemic. The share was 17.1% in the second quarter. At the end of 2025, roughly 20% of core retail sales ran through e-commerce.

Walmart's second-quarter earnings call carried the same direction. Executives said delivery rose 24% between the first and second quarters, and delivery in under 30 minutes, available in 38 markets, was up 48%.

Brandon Page, executive vice president at Blackstone-backed Link Logistics and head of portfolio leasing, told Commercial Observer the plan is "going to have a pretty dramatic effect on certain markets." He added: "It's prompting others to try and catch up."

That comment points to where the capital case sits. Amazon keeps the documents at the proposal stage, but its main competitor, Walmart, is pressing the same advantage, with delivery up 24% between the first and second quarters and 30-minute delivery running in 38 markets. Page's remark implies rivals are moving before Amazon commits to a single site.

One contrast in the published figures is worth carrying into underwriting. The e-commerce share of U.S. retail fell from 18.9% to 17.1% between the first and second quarters, while Walmart's delivery volume rose 24% over the same two periods. A smaller online share of retail spending does not mean fewer parcels moving.