ONTARIO >> By summer 2016, this city will be home to QVC’s first West Coast distribution center.
QVC, short for Quality, Value and Convenience, sells beauty, fashion, jewelry and home products to about 300 million homes worldwide. It is most well-known to consumers as a TV shopping company, but now has grown in ecommerce and mobile platforms.
“I am excited to welcome QVC — the world’s leading video and ecommerce retailer — to the City of Ontario,” said Mayor Paul Leon in a news release Tuesday. “The addition of QVC’s West Coast distribution center furthers the City Council’s goal to invest in growth that will continue to drive the City’s economy.”
The Pennsylvania-based company’s new center is expected to employ more than 500 by 2018 and hire about 1,000 by 2020, according to a news release.
“Over the course of several months, we conducted an exhaustive site search. As part of our site selection process, we considered several factors such as site location, lot size, proximity to transportation and roadways, and available labor force,” said James Reid, vice president of distribution operations in an email. “More broadly, we wanted to open a West Coast distribution center to enhance our shipping and fulfillment operations on the West Coast.”
The lease agreement was finalized this week with property owners Sares-Regis for a building that will be about 1 million square feet at Fourth Street and Vineyard Avenue, immediately north of the 10 Freeway, along Inland Empire Boulevard on the west side of the Cucamonga Creek Channel. A new street will also be developed as part of the property.
“This new distribution center will enable us to efficiently and swiftly serve our customers throughout the western United States,” Reid said. “It is being designed to accommodate approximately 20 percent of QVC’s total business, with plans to store and ship all product categories.”
The LEED-certified facility will have high efficiency systems for lighting, heating and cooling and will also have a 250 kilowatt solar array on its roof. The closest distribution center is in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
“The QVC Western Regional distribution center in Ontario will be a wonderful addition to the community and a tremendous boost to the economy,” Mayor pro Tem Debra Dorst-Porada said. “It will provide hundreds of full-time and part-time jobs in distribution and professional services supporting the local economy.”
The QVC building and associated site improvements will occupy 41.78 acres and the development project proposed by Sares-Regis will consist of six additional buildings on approximately 100 acres, according to John Andrews, economic development director. There is additional land along the 10 Freeway between Vineyard Avenue and Archibald Avenue that is not part of this project and is designated for future commercial uses.
