Wholesale store coming to South Tyler

Published 10:51 am Wednesday, August 6, 2025

A wholesale store is coming to South Tyler.

The City of Tyler Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday afternoon approved a site plan amendment for BJ’s Wholesale Club.

The 104,000-square-foot wholesale facility will locate on a 11.9-acre portion of land located south southwest of the intersection of West Cumberland Road and South Broadway Avenue. It will also include a fuel center available to members.

Marc LaVoie, site development manager for BJ’s Wholesale Club, spoke in front of the planning and zoning board to provide more context on the facility.

“We are a membership club, similar to Sam’s and Costco,” LaVoie said, noting a membership is required to buy items from the wholesale store and gas up at the fuel center.

Like other warehouse stores, BJ‘s shoppers can buy products in bulk and gasoline at discounted prices compared to other retailers. The company has said it “consistently offers 25% or more savings on a representative basket of manufacturer-branded groceries compared to traditional supermarket competitors.”

BJ’s Wholesale Club plans to located off of Cumberland Road in South Tyler. (Contributed Photo)

The Tyler store will offer groceries, electronics, clothing, household goods and an array of bulk products. Shoppers can expect to find a deli, bakery and gas station. Membership prices start at $60 per year.

There will be about 453 parking spaces at the development, according to Tyler-based consultant Kimley-Horn. The fuel center will have eight pumping areas for a total of 16 spaces to pump gas. It will not include any sort of convenience area to purchase snacks or other items.

The site plan has been designed in compliance with the standards set forth in the approved code and includes detailed layouts for building placement. The site was approved in 2019 as zoned for mixed use, to include retail, restaurant, lodging and more, according to the City of Tyler.

When notices were sent out, only one protest was returned, according to the City of Tyler. Those against the development cite an increase in traffic and noise to the already busy retail area. A traffic impact analysis was already conducted to evaluate potential issues and solutions, according to the commission.

The City of Tyler said this project has been a “long time coming.”

BJ’s Wholesale Club, which is based in Massachusetts, has four other Texas sites under construction, including in Fort Worth, Waxahachie, Grand Prairie and Forney. The Fort Worth location broke ground Tuesday as the company’s first Texas store. The other Texas locations are expected to open in early 2026, but a date for opening of the Tyler store has not been announced.

BJ’s Wholesale Club’s expansion into Texas is part of its rapid growth plan, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The company expects to open between 25 and 30 stores over the next five years, including in Texas. BJ’s currently operates 255 clubs in 21 states.

BJ’s has about 7.5 million members. Opened in 1984, the company’s net sales were over $20 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the Star-Telegram.