HATTIESBURG, MS (December 2010)—Out of the nation’s top food distributors, Merchants Foodservice was ranked number one in sales growth this past year in our Top 50 Report (PDF). Merchants Foodservice continues their growth trend with a 32, 000 square foot expansion to their Jackson, MS distribution center. The expansion consists of 1,000,000 cubic feet of freezer space and 240,000 cubic feet of cooler space.
This is not the first expansion made by Merchants Foodservice to their Mississippi distribution. In 1994 Merchants management made a strategic decision to combine Hattiesburg and Jackson distribution into one Mississippi distribution center at 1340 Boling Street. Merchants quickly outgrew this site and in 2002, the former Jitney Jungle distribution center at 870 Boling Street in Jackson was purchased and expanded into a 230,000 square foot state of the art food distribution center. Merchants began all Mississippi and Louisiana distribution out of this site in 2003.
Today, as Merchants Foodservice continues to grow, so do their distribution centers. An expansion of 32,000 square feet will expand this distribution center to 280,000 total square feet, becoming the largest Merchants Foodservice distribution center out of the four that they operate to cover their ever expanding territory. Merchants also operates out of Clanton, AL, Newberry, SC and Tifton, GA.
“The new addition to our Jackson, MS facility significantly increases our inventory capacity and allows us to better serve our current customers as well as giving us the opportunity to grow as our customers grow” said Hal Hiatt, General Manager of Merchants Foodservice Jackson.
“This expansion was fueled by the continued growth we have experienced in recent years, and the expanded facility will enable us to successfully meet the rapidly growing demand for our products and is a testament to the superior inventory management and distribution services our employees provide to our customers” said Andy Mercier, President/CEO of Merchants Foodservice.
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