656,658 square foot LEED® distribution center to benefit customers, community and partners with inclusion of clearance center and guest pick-up
Houston, TX – August 15, 2018 – Conn’s, Inc. (NASDAQ: CONN), the Houston-based specialty retailer of furniture, mattresses, home appliances and consumer electronics, officially broke ground on the future home of the brand’s new Houston Distribution Center. Working in collaboration with local developer, Liberty Property Trust, and brokerage firm, Newmark Knight Frank, the Conn’s HomePlus state-of-the-art 656,658 square-foot, LEED® certified distribution center is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2019.
Currently operating in 14 states, including 19 Houston area locations, and with plans for future expansion, Norm Miller, CEO of Conn’s HomePlus commented on the project, “As we look to the future, we are committed to growing the Conn’s HomePlus business, while always prioritizing and improving the customer experience. The new distribution center is an important step in continuing the evolution and expansion of our company – as it opens its doors, it will also open more opportunities for our brand to positively impact the customers and communities we serve.”
In support of Conn’s HomePlus growth and development strategy, the opening of the new distribution center will establish a more advanced infrastructure, propelling the company to new heights with the ability to serve a greater number of stores. Increasing the support bandwidth from 20 to 45 stores, the new center creates a footprint for future development and functionality.
From an immediate perspective, the construction project will also create jobs during the ground up build, further contributing to taxes allocated for school funding and other efforts.
Employing more than 660 people in the Houston area, and close to 3,000 in the state of Texas, Conn’s HomePlus places great importance on supporting the Houston and Texas economy. “It is humbling to have the opportunity to give back to our community, filled with loyal customers and steadfast store staff. This new distribution center provides a platform for continued growth and local engagement,” added Miller.
“The Houston Industrial market continues to evolve with more large distribution centers and ecommerce fulfillment centers coming to market, and we have been well positioned to benefit from this trend. This is the second build to suit project we’ve launched in the last few weeks,” said Hans Brindley, vice president and market leader for Liberty in Houston. “In this case it was a combination of preparedness and opportunity: we were ‘shovel ready’ on the site and had plans for a building when Conn’s HomePlus came to us. Everything has lined up well and we are thrilled to be in a position to meet their development and timing goals.”
Located at 1401 Rankin Drive in North Houston, the building is situated on just over 36 acres and offers easy access from the Hardy Toll Road. It will serve as a warehouse, distribution center, clearance and customer pick-up center. When complete, the state-of-the-art distribution facility will be 500 feet deep with 36-foot clear height. Ensuring maximum efficiency, it will include 65-foot speed bays and 140 dock doors, a queuing lane for ease of truck loading and parking.
