E Smith Realty Partners has recently secured a 743,600-square-foot lease with The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. for a direct-to-consumer fulfillment center in West Jefferson, OH.
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., is parent company of Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers is a leading fashion retailer with corporate offices based in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company operates 271 department stores, including 10 furniture galleries, in 25 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains.
Sharon Morrison, chief executive officer, and Brad Struck, president of industrial services, of E Smith Realty Partners represented the tenant in negotiations, while Art Makris and Jim Clark represented the landlord, Duke Realty Corp.
“The comprehensive approach to site selection from E Smith Realty, Johnson Stephens and Rubin Advisors’ led us to the perfect solution in West Jefferson” said James Rawlins, senior vice president of distribution and logistics at The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. “I could not be happier with the process or the results.”
E Smith Realty partnered with Johnson Stephens Consulting and Rubin Advisors to assist Bon-Ton in a multi-state site selection process for its new ecommerce fulfillment center. Selection considered occupancy costs including taxes, incentives, transportation, utilities, labor and real estate.
“Our team did a comprehensive evaluation of Bon-Ton’s business needs in order to identify the best ecommerce solution,” said Sharon Morrison of E Smith Realty Partners. “As more retail transactions continue to take place online, we’re seeing an increased demand for fulfillment facilities. Brick-and-mortar retailers are looking for ecommerce solutions to meet consumer needs, and they are turning to experts in the commercial real estate industry to identify the ideal facility that meets their needs while reducing overhead costs.”
The new ecommerce facility is expected to be fully operational and begin shipping orders by spring 2015. The fulfillment center will create more than 130 jobs for Ohio residents, with additional seasonal positions expected to be created during the holidays.
“We are excited to see our ecommerce initiatives come to fruition with the Bon-Ton transaction,” said Brad Struck of E Smith Realty Partners. “It was a true team effort on all accounts. They are an amazing company and we are privileged to work with them.”