Lowe's to open Nashville distribution hub

Lowe's is amping up its distribution game with a new direct fulfillment center near Nashville.



At a square footage of 1.1 million, the facility will be a Lowe's first in that it will ship packages directly to customers.



"We're continually working to make doing business with Lowe's easier for customers. Investing to build a new direct fulfillment center - the first of its kind for Lowe's - allows us to offer customers more products online, consolidate multiple parcel shipments and ship purchases directly to customers faster and more efficiently," said Brent Kirby, Lowe's chief supply chain officer. "The Nashville area was chosen due to its existing large shipping hubs, access to interstate roadways and well-skilled workforce."



The $100 million investment will also create as many as 600 jobs in Coopertown, with 400 positions to open immediately upon open, and another 200 added over the next four years.



Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd joined Lowe's today to announce the company's plans.



"We appreciate Lowe's for choosing Tennessee and Robertson County as the location for its new fulfillment center and creating 600 jobs for our state," Gov. Haslam said. "Lowe's joins more than 16,000 transportation, logistics and distribution establishments operating throughout the state. We welcome Lowe's to Tennessee and thank the company for bringing us one step closer to our goal of making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high-quality jobs."



"Tennessee's geographical location is in the heart of the U.S. with easy access to markets around the world, which makes our state the perfect location for a company like Lowe's to locate its new fulfillment center," Commissioner Boyd said. "I want to thank Lowe's for choosing Robertson County for its new operations and for creating these jobs for our state's growing workforce."



The facility is expected to be operational by the third quarter of 2018.