1.4M-sq-ft Target distribution center coming to New Kent

Target plans to build a 1.4 million-square-foot distribution facility in a busy New Kent County industrial park, with construction work expected to start this month, according to local officials.

“This substantial investment and the creation of hundreds of high-quality jobs is a tremendous economic boost for our community and region,” Rodney Hathaway, an administrator for New Kent County, said in a statement this week.

A spokesperson for Target confirmed the land in New Kent County had been purchased but declined to provide other details. According to the county, Target’s plant will be built on the southwest quadrant of the 1,600-acre industrial-zoned New Kent City Center, which sits near Exit 211 off Interstate 64.

Scannell, an Indiana-based real estate development and investment company which specializes in speculative projects for the industrial, office and multifamily markets, is marketing the site.

Target’s neighbor at New Kent City Center will be auto parts retailer AutoZone, which announced plans to invest $185.2 million for a warehouse and distribution center there in 2022.

In December 2024, New Kent County announced via Instagram that AutoZone distribution center would begin stocking stores in January.

Buc-ee’s, the Texas-based mega-travel center chain, also plans to build a New Kent location off Exit 211. It’s slated to open in 2027. Additionally, Matan, a Maryland based real estate investment firm, plans to build more than 1.8 million square feet of industrial space in that area.

Target plans to begin construction at its New Kent site, which it bought earlier this month, by the end of March, according to New Kent County. The county also noted that the site is marketed by Scannell, an Indiana-based real estate development and investment company that specializes in speculative projects for the industrial, office and multifamily markets.

New Kent’s economic development office, AutoZone and Scannell did not immediately return calls for comment Thursday.

Currently, Target has two distribution centers in Virginia, one in Stuarts Draft and one in Suffolk, according to a spokesperson for the retailer.

Based in Minnesota, Target has more than 2,000 stores. The retailer’s 2024 net sales were $106.6 billion, a 0.8% drop over the previous year.