World’s Largest Starbucks Distribution Center Will Be in Pa.
There’s pretty much a Starbucks on every block, but the coffee giant hasn’t stopped making moves.
Starbucks announced Thursday it will expand on its existing distribution center in York, Pa., making York the largest Starbucks distribution center in the world come September. It’ll also be next to one of the largest coffee roasting plants in the world — the Starbucks York Roasting Plant.
The company will build on the existing York Distribution Center by adding more than 1.2 million square feet of space. When the distribution center is fully operational in mid-September, the company plans to start hiring an estimated 300 new full-time employees in York over the next three to five years.
The company is also expecting to pump nearly $490 million into York’s local economy by working with local businesses, suppliers and contractors.
“As we looked at our long-term growth plans for the business, and the current demands for distribution at scale, we needed to invest in additional capacity,” said Jim Wells, vice president of Starbucks distribution and supply chain operations, in a statement.
“Since opening our roasting facility here in 1995 with just a handful of people, we now have more than 500 full-time partners,” he added. “We’ve invested in the community of York for the past 21 years, and there’s no better location to continue to grow our business and create jobs and economic development.”
The expansion will increase Starbucks’ distribution capacity by 35 percent, the company says, and will help it deliver to more than 3,000 stores across the Northeastern United States, parts of Canada and Europe.
“We are delighted that we are able to continue to work with Starbucks in 2016 as the company launches plans to increase its physical presence in York County and create 300 new jobs,” said Loren Kroh, interim president and CEO of the York County Economic Alliance.