RICHMOND - Governor Mark R. Warner today announced that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. will expand its James City County distribution facility in the GreenMount Industrial Park. Through a $28.5 million investment, the company will create 125 new jobs. Virginia successfully competed with Pennsylvania and Maryland for the project.
“Wal-Mart’s decision to expand its major distribution facility in James City County brings good news to the people of the Peninsula,” said Governor Warner. “As a major employer and retailer in the Commonwealth, Wal-Mart will continue to benefit from the world-class Port of Virginia.”
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the world's largest retailer, with $244.5 billion in sales in the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2003. The company employs more than 1.3 million associates worldwide through more than 3,200 facilities in the United States and more than 1,100 units in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, China, Korea, Germany and the United Kingdom. More than 100 million customers per week visit Wal-Mart stores worldwide.
The James City County facility is used as an import storage facility. Products are imported there and stored or distributed on a seasonal basis to Wal-Mart’s regional distribution centers. The company will construct a separate one million square foot building on 243 additional acres for this project.
“The expansion of the James City Distribution center will provide Wal-Mart the opportunity to better serve the growing number of Wal-Mart customers who shop at our stores in the Mid-Atlantic region,” said Rollin Ford, Executive Vice President of Logistics and Supply Chain. “This is a significant project that represents our continued commitment to Virginia as a partner in both economic development and community.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership prepared the state’s proposal and negotiated an incentive package to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Warner approved $100,000 from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist James City County with the project. The Peninsula Alliance for Economic Development and James City County also assisted Wal-Mart with its expansion decision. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will support the project with its Workforce Services Program.