Ashley planning 850K-square-foot distribution center in Dallas suburb

Ashley Furniture Inds. plans to build an 850,000-square-foot southwest regional distribution and fulfillment center here, a $65 million investment that’s expected to create nearly 350 jobs. The city of Mesquite — an eastern Dallas suburb — announced the plans for the project on a 358-acre tract. Stan Pickett, Mesquite mayor and owner of the two-store Mesquite-based Quality Furniture & Appliance (which had been a long-time dealer of Ashley and other products), said Ashley indicated construction would begin sometime this summer. It’s shooting for an opening by summer of 2018. The facility would replace a 442,000-square-foot leased distribution center in Mesquite that Ashley opened in in January 2016. “The city of Mesquite has embraced our company and has proven to be a business friendly environment with a strong workforce, allowing ample opportunity for growth,” said Ashley President and CEO Todd Wanek said in a press release from the city of Mesquite. “As a customer-centric company, the investment to build in Mesquite is one we feel will result in improved efficiencies to better serve our world-wide customers.” The company declined additional comment. Pickett, who also is an executive committee board member of the Home Furnishings Assn., said he was elected mayor two years ago and within a month of taking office, Ashley representatives were in town on the hunt for a distribution center property. “We’re really excited about it,” Pickett said, noting that the city has incentives in place to encourage Ashley to eventually expand the facility. Those plans will depend on business conditions going forward, but Pickett said Ashley discussed a possible buildout of up to 2.5 million square feet. The city meanwhile, has work to do, too, he said, including a multi-million road rebuilding project to handle the increased truck traffic. Source: Furniture Today