A working Big Ambitions 1.0 warehouse needs a warehouse business, compatible storage with free space, stock, an HQ Logistics Manager, a delivery driver, and a vehicle assigned to a warehouse bay. If the warehouse will buy from importers, it also needs a scheduled Purchasing Agent with a supplier contract.

Required for warehouse-to-store delivery

Use this as the minimum run checklist:

  • Warehouse business: rent or buy a warehouse-type property and create the warehouse business.
  • Storage: install compatible shelves and leave enough free box capacity for incoming stock.
  • Stock: the product must exist in warehouse inventory before a route can move it.
  • Headquarters: provide a valid workstation for a scheduled Logistics Manager.
  • Manager assignment: connect that Logistics Manager to the warehouse.
  • Driver bay: place an eligible delivery vehicle in the warehouse bay.
  • Driver: schedule a qualified Delivery Driver and assign the vehicle.
  • Destination: add the store to the logistics route.
  • Product target: set a positive target for a product the destination can store and sell.

The official Steam description frames warehouses as a distribution network rather than walk-in stores, so customer-facing retail equipment and Traffic Index are not operating requirements.

Additional requirements for importing

Warehouse delivery routes do not buy stock. To import goods into the warehouse, add:

  • a scheduled Purchasing Agent at an HQ workstation;
  • first contact with the relevant importer;
  • that importer assigned to the Purchasing Agent;
  • the correct warehouse selected as the product destination;
  • an active one-time or repeating order;
  • enough cash when the order is processed; and
  • enough free warehouse storage for the complete delivery.

A supplier can cancel an order when payment or storage requirements are not met. That is an import failure, not a Logistics Manager route failure.

Choose the property by capacity, not retail traffic

The current community building index lists warehouse properties with different floor areas, layouts, and locations. Compare:

  • number and size of vehicle bays;
  • space for storage and movement;
  • distance to recurring store destinations;
  • current rent and deposit;
  • whether planned vehicles and shelves fit without blocking access.

Traffic Index and customer capacity are retail measures. They do not compensate for a warehouse with too little storage or too few usable bays.

Minimum setup versus a scalable setup

The minimum setup can prove that one product reaches one store. A scalable warehouse adds enough storage headroom for import cycles, a vehicle that can serve the required destinations, trained staff, backup stock, and targets based on actual consumption.

Do not copy an old rule such as “one vehicle always serves X stores.” Destination capacity depends on the vehicle, Logistics Manager skill, and current build. Read the live employee and vehicle panels before expanding.

Readiness test

The warehouse is ready when all of these are true at the same time:

  1. the product appears in warehouse inventory;
  2. the Logistics Manager view shows the warehouse, vehicle, driver, and destination;
  3. the destination lists the product with a positive target;
  4. the destination has compatible free storage; and
  5. after the next route cycle, warehouse stock decreases and destination stock increases.

If the test fails, use the no-delivery diagnostic rather than adding more shelves or employees at random.