Chewy Chooses North Carolina For $55M Fulfillment Center

The online pet supply retailer will create 1,200 jobs at its new e-commerce fulfillment center in Rowan County, NC.

Chewy Inc., the leading online retailer of pet food and products in the United States, will locate a new e-commerce fulfillment center in Rowan County, NC. The new facility represents an investment of $55 million and will create 1,200 new jobs.

Rowan County, NC“We’re excited to expand Chewy’s fulfillment operations to North Carolina, our first in the state and ninth in the country,” said Pete Krilles, vice president, corporate real estate and facilities for Chewy, Inc. “We greatly appreciate the partnership with Rowan County, the Rowan EDC, North Carolina Department of Commerce, and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. We look forward to making a positive economic contribution to the region with the creation of 1,200 new jobs. In addition to job creation, our new fulfillment center will enhance our delivery network across the southeastern United States, allowing us to better service Chewy customers with even faster delivery times.”

Founded in 2011, Chewy set out to disrupt the existing pet industry by offering pet owners the expertise and service of a local pet store with the convenience of online shopping. Chewy is dually headquartered in Dania Beach, FL and Boston, MA, with customer service centers in Dallas, TX and Hollywood, FL and eight fulfillment centers around the country.

“We are honored and proud that Chewy chose Rowan County as the location of their new facility,” said Greg Edds, chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners. “This represents the largest new jobs announcement in Rowan County’s history and is another great investment to keep Rowan County moving in the right direction. We are grateful to them for creating 1,200 new jobs for Rowan County families and I commend them on their success. We look forward to supporting their continued growth as a company.”

The company will partner with NorthPoint Development of Kansas City, MO to construct a 700,000 square foot facility at the Trevey Site, near Salisbury. NorthPoint Development has built multiple fulfillment centers for Chewy. 

“In a very competitive multi-state development, Rowan County and the state of North Carolina came out on top,” said Ian McDonald, vice president of development for NorthPoint Development. “In the end, the outcome is simply that a great company, Chewy.com, is investing in a great community, Rowan County. We appreciate the state and the county’s efforts to reach this outcome, and we feel fortunate to be a part of this great project.”

Rowan County supported the project with a $2.3 million property tax incentive and a $400,000 equipment grant. Both are performance-based incentives requiring the company to meet predetermined employment goals before the incentives are granted to the company. The State of North Carolina provided a performance-based grant of $166,650 from the One North Carolina Fund along with a substantial commitment in customized training dollars. The county has also applied for Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $1.5 million to install a new sewer line to the building site. Additional funding for the project was provided by Duke Energy through its Carolinas Investment Fund.

“Chewy’s expansion in Rowan County is great news for the Charlotte regional economy and I am proud that the company chose to invest here,” said Rod Crider, president and CEO of the Rowan EDC. “This signature win validates all of the hard work of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners and others over recent years to improve the economic competitiveness of our county. This project means more jobs, investment and momentum for our community and we couldn’t be more excited about the future. What pleases us most though is that the 1,200 new jobs that Chewy is bringing to the area will provide new opportunities to local job seekers and a chance for more Rowan County families to live their American Dream.”

Construction of the new Chewy facility is expected to be completed by June 2020.

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