Ross Stores plans to build a 1.75-million-square-foot processing and distribution center in southeast Bakersfield, California, at a cost of about $500 million. Construction is expected to start in 2027. The site will be Ross’s 10th distribution center.
The center will sit near East Belle Terrace and Mount Vernon Avenue and is expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs. Ross’s existing DC in nearby Shafter will keep operating, a company spokesperson told The Bakersfield Californian.
“This facility will strengthen our operations, support continued growth and create new employment opportunities in the community,” said Rob Kummerer, Ross’s executive vice president of supply chain.
Two Ross subsidiaries will get California tax credits totaling $25 million in exchange for hiring 200 employees in Bakersfield at wages averaging $71,313 by 2030, according to the Californian. Ross said the credits were an important factor in the project’s viability.
Ross runs three other distribution centers in California, plus sites in Buckeye, Arizona, and Brookshire, Texas. It also has one in Pennsylvania and two in South Carolina. Ross’s ninth distribution center is in Randleman, North Carolina.
Ross sees long-term room for about 2,900 Ross Dress for Less stores and 700 dd’s Discounts stores, according to Fox Business.
Other off-price and value retailers are also expanding their distribution networks. Burlington opened its largest and most automated distribution center near Savannah, Georgia, this year and cut supply-chain costs as a share of sales last quarter. It also plans a site in Arizona. Dollar Tree opened a 1-million-square-foot distribution center in Arizona this spring.
