Grainger plans to open sprawling distribution center in Hockley in 2026

Chicago-based industrial supply company Grainger plans to open a sprawling distribution center in Hockley, about 35 miles northwest of Houston, according to a Thursday announcement.

The 1.2 million-square-foot facility — planned for a vacant, 108-acre site — will open in 2026 at Roberts Road and U.S. 290. Construction will begin in spring, the company said.

The distribution center will have more than 250,000 items, such as hand and power tools and heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment. Grainger expects to employ about 400 people within a year of opening.

The property would be within the Northwest Far industrial submarket, which stretches along U.S. 290 beyond the Grand Parkway, that hasn’t been a big player in Houston’s industrial real estate market, said Robert Kramp, vice president of research at real estate firm Transwestern in Houston.

But a boom in residential growth expected over the next decade — including at least three master-planned communities in Hockley — could make the area more appealing for industrial distributors wanting to be closer to rooftops.

“The Northwest Far submarket is literally at the epicenter of Houston’s residential growth pattern,” Kramp said. “(The Hockley project) is pioneering the industrial expansion past the Grand Parkway. It’s going to carve out a brand-new expansion corridor for warehouse distribution space in a long term.”

Grainger operates more than 45 locations in Texas, including six in the city of Houston. The Hockley location will be one of Grainger’s largest U.S. facilities.