Orchard Brands to Close MA Warehouse; Move Jobs to Blair Facility

Multititle mailer Orchard Brands plans to move 75 to 100 jobs from its Beverly, MA-based distribution center to its Blair Corp. unit’s fulfillment facility located in Irvine, PA. The Beverly DC is 240,000 sq. ft. and the Irvine, PA DC is 931,000 sq. ft.

The Beverly DC handles fulfillment of Orchard Brands’ Appleseed’s, Tog Shop, Draper’s & Damon’s and WinterSilks brands, says company spokesperson Robin Weinberg. After the transition, about two-thirds of Orchard Brands’ distribution will be located in the Irvine DC, which boasts state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

“This was a previously announced move as far as closing the Beverly DC,” Weinberg says. Originally, the Beverly workers were going to be moved to Groveport, OH.

The fact that they’re now moving to the Pennsylvania facility actually prolongs the move, she says. “It will be an 18-month transition” that should begin sometime in the spring. Orchard Brands will retain its corporate headquarters in Beverly, Weinberg notes.

Orchard Brands, #26 on the 2010 MCM 100, is a $1.17 billion business that sells apparel, accessories and home goods to consumers age 55 and older via 17 catalog brands. It laid off 33 people last month as part of an ongoing integration of women’s apparel titles Willow Ridge and Bedford Fair Lifestyles.

The company is owned by private equity firm Golden Gate Capital, which in October put Orchard Brands up for sale.