RICHMOND - Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Harris Teeter, Inc., will invest $101 million to open a food distribution operation in King George County, creating 335 jobs. The facility will service existing storefronts in the Virginia market and expand service in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Virginia successfully competed with Maryland and North Carolina for the project.
“I am pleased that King George County will serve as the location for Harris Teeter’s first Virginia food distribution operation,” said Governor Kaine. “Harris Teeter is an exciting, well-known brand in the Commonwealth and will certainly increase its presence with an investment of this magnitude. King George and Virginia as a whole will also benefit from more than 300 new job opportunities.”
Harris Teeter, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ruddick Corporation and headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina, is a food market chain that operates in the eight-state area of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland and Delaware. The company also operates stores in the District of Columbia. Ruddick Corporation is traded on the NY Stock Exchange at RDK. Harris Teeter has approximately 21,000 employees.
“The factors that attracted us to this site were its location, workforce potential and proximity to major highways that supplement our logistics network,” said Larry Cooper, Vice President of Distribution for Harris Teeter. “We will be finalizing our overall evaluation process during a 90 day due diligence period as outlined in the contract. We look forward to and are excited about our partnership with King George County and are appreciative of the Governor’s Opportunity Fund’s assistance with our proposed new distribution center,” added Cooper.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with King George County and the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Kaine approved $200,000 from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist King George County with the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
“We are extremely pleased that Harris Teeter has selected King George County as the site for their Virginia Distribution Center,” stated Joseph W. Grzeika, Chairman of the King George County Board of Supervisors. “This development has been a team effort and our Board views Harris Teeter as key to diversifying our business base in the County as well as further endorsement of industrial development potential along Virginia State Route 3. While providing a substantial capital investment, the Harris Teeter distribution facility will also provide good paying jobs with a great company. We welcome Harris Teeter to King George and look forward to building a strong and long lasting partnership and eagerly await the closing after the diligence period."