Nightingale Ice Cream cancels expansion plans

Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches has canceled its plans for a $5.8 million expansion into a larger Richmond location, only a few months after initially making the announcement.

The Richmond-based small batch ice cream company in May announced it was going to move into a new 29,000-square-foot location, 5.01-acre site at 2807 Transport St. that would serve as both a production facility and Nightingale‘s corporate headquarters, with about 24,000 square feet dedicated to production.

At the time, Nightingale said the planned move was because the company had doubled in size year-over-year and had outgrown its current production facility. The company also announced in May that it planned to add 166 jobs.

However, a spokesperson confirmed that Nightingale is not relocating to the new facility and has instead decided to remain in place at the Hatch food-and-beverage incubator.

The company has listed 2807 Transport St. for sale at $3.6 million. According to city tax records, Nightingale acquired the site for $2.77 million on Jan. 2 this year.

The spokesperson declined to provide details on why the company is canceling the move, how much had already been invested in improvements at the proposed site and whether it still plans to add workers.

Nightingale was founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife duo Hannah Pollack and Xavier Meers. The company manufactures specialty ice cream sandwiches that include 14% butterfat ice cream but have no artificial ingredients and dyes and are non-GMO. Its ice cream sandwiches are sold in more than 5,000 chain and independent grocery stores, including Whole Foods Market, Kroger, The Fresh Market and Harris Teeter.