Winning Brands Corporation (WNBD)

[J-Rhino]

The 325,000-square-foot Avenel facility will stock over 32,000 paint sundry and hardware-related products and will provide next day delivery service to the Northeast market including

the New York boroughs, Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, New England and the mid-Atlantic region.

Shipping from the new facility is planned to commence in the fourth quarter of 2010. Following the opening of the new facility and consolidation, Lancaster / Five Star will operate out of eight distribution centers serving a national footprint.

The company said that the consolidation of the three existing facilities will provide an expanded and consistent product offering for the company’s northeast market. Additionally, operational and shipping efficiencies will benefit customers and vendor partners.

“The consolidation of our three northeast distribution centers into a state-of-the-art facility in Avenel is a significant step in further solidifying our position as the leader in the Northeast market for paint sundries and related items,” Jay Baker, president and CEO of The Merit Group, said in a press release. “The new space will also give us the opportunity to strategically expand our product offerings to meet the needs of our customer base.”

http://www.nrha.org/v2/Hardware_Retailing/Article.aspx?slug=lancaster-five-star-group-announces-opening-of-new-state-of-the-art-distribution-facility-in-new-jersey