Ace Hardware Corporation, the world’s largest hardware cooperative, has expansion plans for its Redistribution Center located at 1006 CenterPoint Drive in Suffolk, Virginia.

Originally opened in 2012 in the CenterPoint Intermodal Center, the upcoming expansion will add 138,000 sq. ft. to the existing 336,000 square-foot facility. Construction for the project is expected to begin in April with a target completion of November 2017.

According to CenterPoint Properties, the property developer, the expansion will bring more than 70 construction jobs to the community.

“We look forward to breaking ground on the expansion of our Redistribution Center in Suffolk,” said Lori Bossmann, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain, Inventory Replenishment, Retail Support, Loss Prevention and Property Administration for Ace Hardware Corporation.

“Ace’s continued year-over-year sales growth has fueled our need for a larger facility in Suffolk, we’re pleased that the City of Suffolk and CenterPoint Properties are able to accommodate our needs as we continuously grow our operations facilities to meet the needs of our business demands,” she added.

Ace’s Suffolk-based Redistribution Center serves as the organization’s east coast hub for receiving import merchandise through the Port of Virginia. Once the facility’s expansion is complete, products received at this facility will be distributed to 10 of Ace Hardware’s 14 Retail Support Centers, serving Ace retail stores as far as Texas, New York and Florida.

“We appreciate the confidence, support and vision shown by Ace Hardware’s re-investment in Virginia.” said John Reinhart, CEO and Executive Director of the Virginia Port Authority. "Ace Hardware was one of the first companies to choose The Port of Virginia as a location to deploy their supply chain diversification strategy and this announcement speaks to Virginia's ability to cultivate and grow businesses as well as compete in the global marketplace."

“Ace was the first tenant at CenterPoint Intermodal Center in 2012,” recognized Suffolk Mayor Linda T. Johnson. “They shared our vision that operating in Suffolk was going to provide strategic value, and obviously that has come to fruition by Ace deciding to reinvest and expand once again.”

“We are confident that this expansion will add great value to Ace’s business,” said Bob Harbour, Senior Vice President, Development at CenterPoint Properties. “At CenterPoint, we provide our clients with functional warehouse and distribution space in logistically-advantaged locations. We are delighted to expand our collaboration with Ace and know they’ll continue to see the value CenterPoint provides.”