PETCO’S FACILITY
PETCO will move into a 506,200 square-foot building on Ga. Hwy. 124, near Ga. Hwy. 211 in Barrow County. A Sears distribution operation moved out of the building last year and relocated to Pendergrass.
PETCO to open distribution center in Braselton
Company to occupy vacant building on Ga. Hwy. 124
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
PETCO — a national retailer of pet food, supplies and services — plans to open a large distribution center in Braselton.
The San Diego-based company is slated to open its distribution center in a vacant 506,200 square-foot facility on Ga. Hwy. 124, near Ga. Hwy. 211. The building is located in the Braselton Business Park in Barrow County.
“We are delighted that PETCO has chosen Braselton as the location for their new distribution facility,” Braselton mayor Pat Graham said in a statement on Monday. “We appreciate their investment and the new jobs they are bringing to Braselton.”
Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office reported on Monday that PETCO is expected to invest $33 million in the Braselton distribution center that will serve the Southeast. At full capacity, the company plans to have up to 277 employees, according to a statement from the governor.
“Georgia’s strength in logistics makes it a top choice for national retailers like PETCO,” Gov. Perdue said in a statement. “Our robust transportation network and ready workforce are a natural fit for distribution centers.”
Dave Watson, senior vice president of Grubb and Ellis Company, said he expects PETCO to move into the building in 120 days. PETCO signed a 12-year lease for the facility, he added.
The building was occupied by Sears, before it relocated to a Pendergrass facility in August 2007.
Watson said PETCO’s Braselton building cannot be expanded. Tractor Supply is located a short distance on Hwy. 124 from the facility.
Other major distribution centers in the area include Haverty’s, The Home Depot and Whole Foods, and Mayfield Dairy.
“This announcement is especially ‘sweet’ in today’s fierce, volatile economy,” Linda Moore, vice president of economic development for the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce. “We are pleased that PETCO has chosen to locate in Barrow County joining other firms that have recognized the attributes of the area.”
PETCO operates more than 850 stores in 49 state and the District of Columbia, and has more than 100,000 pet-related products, according to the company’s website.
“We are very pleased to be locating our new facility in Braselton in support of our mission to help pet parents take great care of their pets by providing them with our wide range of products and services,” said Jim Myers, PETCO’s chief executive officer. “Our new distribution center will serve more than 200 PETCO stores across the southern part of the country and will be a great addition to the 15 existing PETCO stores already located throughout Georgia.”
PETCO began working with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and other significant economic development partners in 2005. Key partners who helped secure the logistics deal included the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Power.
