Schuylkill County, PA — On April 28, 2016, Governor Tom Wolf announced that Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), parent of Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Saks OFF 5TH, will establish a new facility in Highridge Business Park, Schuylkill County. The move will result in 207 new, full-time jobs.
HBC will move into an existing distribution facility in Foster Township. The company will establish an e-commerce fulfillment center and develop a 50,000 s/f, state-of-the-art fashion photography studio. The company has committed to making an investment of at least $50 million in the project and has committed to creating 207 new, full-time jobs and retaining 391 positions over the next three years.“We are grateful to Governor Wolf and the Governor’s Action Team, and excited to become part of the Pottsville community,” said Jerry Storch, HBC’s chief executive officer. “At HBC, we are laser-focused on our all-channel strategy, and this investment leapfrogs us to the forefront of internet distribution technology. As we execute on our digital strategy, we continue to invest in innovation that enables us to serve our consumers seamlessly, lead the evolution of trends in the retail industry, and expand our business which creates new job opportunities and investment in the community.”
Northpoint Development, a Missouri-based real estate developer and the owner of the Highridge Business Park building, plans on expanding the existing 455,000 s/f building up to 1.27 million s/f, with HBC occupying roughly half of that space. The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation.
“There is no issue more important in Schuylkill County than good-paying jobs,” said state Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill/Berks. “I want to congratulate Governor Wolf and his team, as well as Frank Zukas at SEDCO and Rep. Goodman and all of our local economic development advocates on a job well done. The interstate and international competition for jobs of this kind is very intense and I am very pleased by the result today.”
HBC received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development that includes a $500,000 Pennsylvania First program grant, $93,150 in WEDnetPA funding for employee training, and $414,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be distributed upon creation of the new jobs.“
Today’s announcement is great news for the economic future of Schuylkill County given the excellent reputation of the Hudson’s Bay Company as an innovative retailer and e-commerce leader with iconic brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor included in their family of companies,” said Frank Zukas, president, Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation.