Farm, home supplies retailer to invest $40M in Henry County

Farm and home supplies retailer Rural King will invest $40 million to establish a distribution center in Henry County, a project expected to create 150 jobs, Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced Tuesday.

“As part of the investment,” according to a news release from the governor’s office, Illinois-headquartered Rural King bought the 500,000-square-foot warehouse at the Patriot Centre Industrial Park vacated by apparel company VF Corp. in spring 2025. Rural King will “make additional investments to upgrade” the facility, according to a county news release. Rural King did not immediately respond to requests for additional information Wednesday.

“Rural King’s decision to locate its new distribution center in Henry County underscores Virginia’s position as a premier logistics hub on the East Coast,” Spanberger said in a statement. “This investment builds on that foundation by bringing new life to an existing facility and creating meaningful jobs for the region.”

The new jobs will have an average annual wage of about $59,000, according to a news release, exceeding the county’s median household income of $48,445.

Founded in 1960, Rural King has more than 160 locations — including stores in Bristol, Front Royal, Martinsville, Norton, Radford and Wytheville — across 17 states, as well as an e-commerce platform. It specializes in farm and home supplies, including feed and seed.

Amy Shafer, Rural King’s vice president of human resources, said in a statement: “We’re excited to expand our distribution network with this new facility in Henry County and deepen our commitment to serving customers across the region. … Henry County offers a strong workforce and welcoming business environment, making it an ideal partner for this next phase of our expansion.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Henry County to secure the project and will support Rural King through the three-year Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides recruiting and training services as well as cash grant reimbursements for associated human resources costs after a company has had new employees on the payroll for at least 90 days.

Additionally, Spanberger approved a $750,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the county. Rural King’s expansion in Henry is supported by the federal New Markets Tax Credits Program, according to a news release.