A RI based company that is expanding - Ocean State Job Lot (Providence: leasing, purchasing)
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Ocean State Job Lot has today announced that it will be opening stores in seven former Toys R Us locations. It is actually purchasing outright six of these building locations and leasing one. The Rhode Island-based company said the new locations are located in New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania - which is a new market for Ocean State Job Lot. Unlike most large retailers, Ocean State Job Lot owns rather than leases the great majority of its store locations.
Ocean State Job Lot presently operates 131 stores in all six New England states as well as in New York and New Jersey. It employes over 5000 and has revenues around 700M/year. The chain was first started with one store in North Kingstown, RI back in 1977 by brothers Marc and Alan Perlman.
The company is headquartered with its offices and main distribution center at Quonset Point. A 50 million dollar addition doubling its distribution space to some 1.2M square feet was completed in 2018. Nearly 85% of what it sells goes through this facility.
It might have been a great loss to the state's economy if some had their way about 15 years ago (2005). As is often the case with myopic insular RI, there was initially some opposition to the retailer moving its headquarters and distribution center to the Quonset Business Park. There were actually people that dismissed the chain as a low end retailer that was not worthy or appropriate for this site per their vision of the park. Imagine if they had gotten their way?
Another positive for RI is that the Quonset Business Park is finally now fulfilling its original plans. The sprawling center currently has over 11,000 employees working at companies on its 3,212-acre site about 20 miles south of Providence. It has its own port, airport and rail line on what was up until its 1973 decommissioning the former Quonset Air Naval Station. It has underwent decades of costly environmental cleanup and infrastructure improvements which have included the Route 403 highway connecting it to the existing Route 4. The largest employers at the park today are Electric Boat which has a workforce near 5,000 and Ocean State job lot which has approximately 1,000 employees.
It might have been a great loss to the state's economy if some had their way about 15 years ago (2005). As is often the case with myopic insular RI, there was initially some opposition to the retailer moving its headquarters and distribution center to the Quonset Business Park. There were actually people that dismissed the chain as a low end retailer that was not worthy or appropriate for this site per their vision of the park. Imagine if they had gotten their way?
Since you keep flogging this point, it might be worth pointing out that it is not one size fits all.
Some industry is good, some bad. Some types of growth are good, some bad. It comes down to individual cases every time and to characterize RI as generally myopic and insular is unfair, although it obviously serves your agenda.
Good for Job Lot- glad they're able to expand and thrive.
Since you keep flogging this point, it might be worth pointing out that it is not one size fits all.
Some industry is good, some bad. Some types of growth are good, some bad. It comes down to individual cases every time and to characterize RI as generally myopic and insular is unfair, although it obviously serves your agenda.
Good for Job Lot- glad they're able to expand and thrive.
Ocean State Job Lot has today announced that it will be opening stores in seven former Toys R Us locations. It is actually purchasing outright six of these building locations and leasing one. The Rhode Island-based company said the new locations are located in New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania - which is a new market for Ocean State Job Lot. Unlike most large retailers, Ocean State Job Lot owns rather than leases the great majority of its store locations.
Ocean State Job Lot presently operates 131 stores in all six New England states as well as in New York and New Jersey. It employes over 5000 and has revenues around 700M/year. The chain was first started with one store in North Kingstown, RI back in 1977 by brothers Marc and Alan Perlman.
The company is headquartered with its offices and main distribution center at Quonset Point. A 50 million dollar addition doubling its distribution space to some 1.2M square feet was completed in 2018. Nearly 85% of what it sells goes through this facility.
It might have been a great loss to the state's economy if some had their way about 15 years ago (2005). As is often the case with myopic insular RI, there was initially some opposition to the retailer moving its headquarters and distribution center to the Quonset Business Park. There were actually people that dismissed the chain as a low end retailer that was not worthy or appropriate for this site per their vision of the park. Imagine if they had gotten their way?
Great news! I don't shop much, but when I do, Job Lot rarely disappoints.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hollytree
Since you keep flogging this point, it might be worth pointing out that it is not one size fits all.
Some industry is good, some bad. Some types of growth are good, some bad. It comes down to individual cases every time and to characterize RI as generally myopic and insular is unfair, although it obviously serves your agenda.
Good for Job Lot- glad they're able to expand and thrive.
I've only lived here a couple of years, but uh, it's pretty damn insular.
I like it, Providence is a great town, the coastline is pretty aces, but its insular.
I've only lived here a couple of years, but uh, it's pretty damn insular.
I like it, Providence is a great town, the coastline is pretty aces, but its insular.
Yep. Insular it is. For all of its positive features, the tiny state has never had the flush of outsiders to break the provincial spell it's under.
Are they moving into the Toys r Us across from the RI Mall ? I couldnt find conformation of that.
No. The article I linked mentions no new RI locations. Closest is in Dartmouth, MA which is the one lease agreement. This expansion only involves 7 former Toys r Us locations from PA to ME.
I would imagine the chain pretty much has most of the New England store market already covered. Would new stores to be in the newer market states such as NY, NJ, and PA with the goal of eventually expanding further out. Regardless of where new stores are, it would still mean more employees at the Quonset HQ and distribution center as they would be needed to service a larger chain.
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