Amazon to open fulfillment center in Prince George County

Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. — which is building its $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington — will open a fulfillment center for its AmazonBasics line in Prince George County by the end of the year, creating 150 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. 

The fulfillment center will open in the former 798,000-square-foot Ace Hardware Corp. facility on Crater Road, making it the 11th fulfillment center in the state to open since 2013. The company’s other Virginia fulfillment, sortation and delivery stations are located in Ashland, Chesapeake, Chester, Clear Brook, Petersburg, Richmond, Springfield and Sterling.

Although the cost of the project was not disclosed by the state, the former Ace Hardware warehouse was sold for $21.75 million in July 2019. The company announced in 2017 that it would restructure its East Coast distribution and instead open one 1.1 million-square-foot site in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania for its retail support. The entirety of the restructuring changes took approximately two years to complete.

“This investment expands Amazon’s footprint in Virginia and is a strong testament to our competitive business climate, prime East Coast location, and unmatched talent,” Northam said in a statement. “We continue to build on our corporate partnership with Amazon, and we are pleased that the new fulfillment center will create up to 150 well-paid jobs in Prince George County.”

“We anticipate that the fulfillment center will launch in time for the 2020 holiday shopping season,” says Rachael Lighty, regional manager, external communications for Amazon operations, adding that more details on construction timeline and hiring are to come.

The positions will pay at least $15 per hour. As a company, Amazon has a commitment to paying that as a minimum wage — more than double Virginia’s current $7.25 minimum wage.

Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball credits Prince George’s close proximity to Interstate 95 as one appeal to Amazon for a fulfillment center.

“The new fulfillment center in Prince George County will provide Amazon optimal access to national markets from Interstate 95,” Ball said in a statement. “This important project will re-open the former Ace Hardware facility and create valuable jobs, and we thank the company for continuing to expand in Virginia.”