Stater Bros. opens largest supermarket DC

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. Stater Bros. Tuesday announced the opening of a new 2.1 million square foot distribution center, the largest under-one-roof distribution center in the U.S. supermarket industry.

According to the company, its new DC in San Bernardino, Calif. will consist of a dry distribution facility, a refrigerated facility, a bakery depot, a truck maintenance garage, and a dispatch returns building. When it begins shipping product in February of 2008, the new distribution center will replace eight existing Stater Bros. distribution centers currently located in Colton, Redlands and Mira Loma.

In addition to the new distribution center, the company is also opening new corporate offices on the Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, Calif. Together, the new corporate offices and distribution center will initially employ 2,000 employees and have an immediate annual payroll of over $165,000,000. According to Stater Bros. this project was proclaimed as the biggest economic impact announcement in the history of the Inland Empire.

"The new Stater Bros. corporate offices and distribution center will help us to better serve our valued customers in six Southern California Counties (San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego and Kern) and prepare for future growth," said Stater Bros. chairman and ceo Jack Brown.