The owner of catalog retailer Plow & Hearth will open a 140,000-square-foot distribution center this spring east of Sparks to serve its Western markets for its country living-oriented gifts.
Officials at the parent company, suburban New York-based gift retailer 1-800-Flowers.com Inc., said the Plow & Hearth warehouse will hire about 20 employees for its planned mid-April opening in the LogistiCenter just inside the Storey County line 15 miles east of Sparks.
"After evaluating several other states, we found that Reno and Nevada best met our needs, which included enhancing our shipping capabilities by reducing shipping time and cost," said Brian McGee, vice president of real estate/construction for 1-800-Flowers.com.
Officials said the warehouse likely will add additional employees during the peak holiday periods.
Plow & Hearth also operates distribution centers in Madison, Va., and Vandalia, Ohio, as well as six outlet stores in Virginia and one in Maryland.
Plow & Hearth mailed more than 63 million catalogs in 2004 and sales exceeded $100 million, according to its Web site.
The decision to base its Western operations in Northern Nevada continues a trend of companies locating in the region for its easy access to Interstate 80 and the Union Pacific railroad line. That includes retail giant Wal-Mart, which is building a 900,000-square-foot grocery warehouse in the area.
"Logistics was a large part of this deal," said Ken Pierson, director of business development for the Reno-based Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. "They definitely wanted to be close to I-80."