Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett announced that luxury retailer, Neiman Marcus, will open a distribution center in CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park East in Jenkins Twp., creating more than 150 jobs.
The company will invest in excess of $12 million for improvements, equipment and employee training at the 198,400-square-foot building on CenterPoint Boulevard. The Neiman Marcus Group has a 10-year lease with Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services to accommodate all of its East Coast operations. The retailer had previously been using a distribution center in New Jersey.
According to a press release from Gov. Corbett, the company received an $895,950 funding offer from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), including a $375,000 Pennsylvania First grant, which encourages Pennsylvania businesses to compete with other states; $67,950 in job training assistance; and $453,000 in job creation tax credits.
Steven Kratz, a spokesman for DCED, said the Pennsylvania First grant funds can be used to buy machinery and improve the land and building. The tax credits will be disbursed annually based on the number of jobs created over three years. He added that they will include management, distribution and operations positions but could not say how much the jobs will pay.
Jim Skinner, executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Neiman Marcus, said, “the new facility is strategically located to allow us to better serve our customers and stores in the Northeast.”
Pennsylvania was in competition with West Virginia for the project.
Mericle crews are customizing the space to Neiman Marcus’ needs, said Mericle Vice President Jim Hilsher, who coordinated the real estate transaction with Joe McDermott from CB Richard Ellis Real Estate of Wayne. He added that the work should be complete in the fall and the company should begin operations by the end of the year.
A spokesman for Mericle said that Neiman Marcus will be the 31st company in CenterPoint and its 150 new jobs will push total employment in the park to about 3,200.
