Urban Outfitters supporting online growth with new automated omnichannel eCommerce hub
Clothing retailer Urban Outfitters is expanding its e-commerce infrastructure with a planned 880,000 square-foot omnichannel distribution center (DC) in the Kansas City area.
The $350 million DC will be located on ancillary land at the Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County, Kan., and is expected to create up to 2,000 local jobs. Construction is set to begin this fall, officials said.
“This facility will serve as a ‘logistics node’ for the global lifestyle-oriented general merchandise and consumer products company Urban Outfitters and other brands, headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, with an 880,000 sq. ft. facility, including 60,000 sq. ft. of office space,”
Ziel also pointed to the region and its workforce as prime reasons the Philadelphia-based company chose Kansas City for the new DC. Distribution projects are up 25% and manufacturing projects are up 21% in the Kansas City area since 2019, according to the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC). KC SmartPort, a nonprofit economic development organization focused on recruiting freight-based companies to the area, said it has helped bring more than $1.1 billion in capital investment and more than 8.8 million square feet of industrial space to the region in the past three years.
“This facility will be at the heart of our distribution network, enabling us to support continued digital growth at all our brands and reach our digital customers faster and more efficiently than ever before.”
The trend has been accelerating since the Covid-19 pandemic hit this spring, officials also said.
“Since the outbreak of the virus, several prominent employers have chosen Kansas City for their next facility, including Dot’s Pretzels, Tuthill Corporation, and Chewy, Inc., among others,” local business leaders also said Thursday.
Groundbreaking will occur in the fall, with operations anticipated to be up and running in early 2022.
