JCPenney to open Lathrop cross-dock facility

JCPenney to open Lathrop cross-dock facility    Retailer JCPenney will open a 436,000-square-foot cross-dock logistics center in Lathrop this August.
   The existing building, located off the West Coast's main north-south Interstate 5, is about 40 miles inland from the Port of Oakland.
   Following modifications to the Dallas-based firm's specifications, the facility will support distribution and importing to regional JCPenney Store Support Centers as the $19.9 billion-a-year firm ramps up to add 150 stores over the next three years.
   Work on the building is set to begin in May, and the facility is expected to be operational in early August. The firm expects the facility to support 100 staff positions, with hiring to begin in early July.
   JCPenney operates similar cross-dock facilities in Buena Park; Statesville, N.C.; Alliance, Texas; Atlanta; and North Bergen, N.J. The company also operates 13 regional Store Support 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.