Grainger plans to open one of its largest US facilities in Hockley, employ 400 people

 

Illinois-based W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW) — a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating products — plans to bring one of its largest U.S. facilities to Hockley to help the company provide additional capacity for its next-day orders.

The new 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center, which will be known as the Houston Texas Distribution Center, will be constructed on a 108-acre site in unincorporated Harris County northwest of Houston at Roberts Road and U.S. Route 290. The property is being developed by Houston-based Hines, and although the cost is not disclosed, the company said it was a significant investment.

Grainger expects to employ about 400 people at the facility within a year of opening.

The groundbreaking is set for this coming spring, and the company anticipates a 2026 opening. Once the distribution center is completed, it will house over 250,000 industrial supply items. This includes hand and power tools, heating ventilation and air conditioning equipment, fluid power solutions, lighting, power transmission equipment and motors.

The Hockley distribution center is just one of many projects the company has underway as it aims to enhance its network operations, accommodate a growing product offering and expand on its next-day delivery offer, the company says.

Other construction sites underway include a 525,000-square-foot bulk warehouse in Pineville, North Carolina, which is scheduled to open later this year, and a 535,000-square-foot distribution center in Gresham, Oregon, which is scheduled to open next year. In total, Grainger is adding 3.5 million square feet, increasing its overall warehouse space by 35%.

Currently, the company operates more than 45 locations in Texas. In Houston, Grainger has six other locations at 8200 Pinemont Drive, 6050 Southwest Freeway, 1222 S. Loop W., 4545 Darien St., 17010 Katy Freeway and 16741 North Freeway.

“Our customers want the right product, in the right place, in the right quantity, at the right time,” Rob Reynolds, Grainger senior vice president of branch and DC operations, said in a statement about the new Hockley facility. “Greater Houston is an ideal location because it’s geographically close to current and potential customers, and it sits in the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States.”

The Highway 290 corridor has gotten on the radar of a growing number of both commercial and residential developers as the area northwest of Houston is experiencing fast population growth, helped by the recent widening of the freeway as well as the addition of the Grand Parkway.

Industrial development along 290 outside the Grand Parkway includes a 4.3 million-square-foot Daikin manufacturing and distribution facility, a 1.3 million-square-foot facility at Kermier Road developed by Houston-based The Avera Cos., a 500,000-square-foot distribution center in Waller by Houston-based Pagewood, and a 2.5 million-square-foot development by Houston-based Parkside Capital and Vigavi in Prairie View.

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