Coach Breaks Ground On Distribution Center Expansion
Coach broke ground on a new expansion of almost 300,000 square feet to its distribution facility. Stellar, a Jacksonville-based design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm, will design, build and use sustainable or "green" building practices and materials for the expansion.
The expansion is expected to be complete in September 2008, bringing Coach's total space at the Jacksonville International Tradeport operation to 850,000 square feet of space and increasing the company's processing and storage capacity by more than 50 percent. Stellar constructed the original building and provided design/build services for all expansions. Although Coach upgraded the technology in its distribution facility a little over a year ago, the company needed to physically expand to accommodate its faster-than-expected growth.
The 105,000-square-foot addition to the current distribution facility will provide storage space. A new 180,000-square-foot building will become a shipping facility, and a walkway with a conveyor will join the new building with the current distribution facility. The current shipping area will be reconfigured for value-added services space and enable 24-hour daily receiving, shipping and a secured yard. Stellar will build the facilities according to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
"We're proud to have worked with Coach for such a long time," said Mike Netting, Stellar divisional vice president of Distribution Facility Services. "It's a great compliment that they've asked us again to design and build these new facilities."
New York-based Coach has its only distribution center and customer service center in Jacksonville. Coach opened a 355,000-square-foot distribution facility at Jacksonville International Tradeport in 1995. In 1999, the company added 210,000 square feet of distribution space and consolidated all its distribution functions to the Jacksonville location. The company continued expanding, adding a customer service contact center in 2004 and retrofitted distribution space in 2006.
About Stellar
Stellar is a fully integrated firm focused on design, engineering, construction and mechanical services worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Stellar has extensive successful project experience in the food, commercial, office, automotive, educational, healthcare, institutional, hospitality and industrial markets. The company employs approximately 1,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.stellar.net.
About Coach
Coach, with headquarters in New York, is a leading American marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men, including handbags, women's and men's small leathergoods, business cases, weekend and travel accessories, footwear, watches, outerwear, scarves, sunwear, fragrance, jewelry and related accessories. Coach is sold worldwide through Coach stores, select department stores and specialty stores, through the Coach catalogue in the U.S. by calling 1-800-223-8647 and through Coach's website at www.coach.com. Coach's shares are traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol COH.
SOURCE: Coach