J.C. Penney set to open new Lathrop shipping center

J.C. Penney set to open new Lathrop shipping center

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. will open a 436,000-square-foot shipping center in Lathrop to handle imported goods coming in through the Port of Oakland and expand its distribution network, the company said Saturday.

   The news comes at the expense of the Port of Stockton, located just 11 miles away, and once the home to the largest J.C. Penney distribution center in the West before the retailer pulled out in the 1980s.

   The Lathrop center, on 28 acres with an additional 17-plus acres for trailer parking, will receive and sort imported merchandise for routing to J.C. Penney’s distribution centers across the country.

   The facility will require the hiring of nearly 100 people beginning in early July, the company said in a release. Building modifications and equipment installation are expected to begin in May, and the facility should be operating by early August.

   The Lathrop facility is aimed at cutting transportation time for imported goods, he said.

   The company also operates a network of 13 regional distribution centers, each servicing 80 to 125 stores; four direct distribution centers, fulfilling orders for catalog and jcp.com customers; and four retail furniture distribution centers.