Coaster opens larger Chicago warehouse
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, February 11, 2008
Des Plaines, Ill. — Case goods and upholstery importer Coaster Company has opened a larger warehouse and showroom in this Chicago suburb as part of a plan to better serve retailers in the upper Midwest.
The 253,000-square-foot leased facility replaces a 201,000-square-foot building the company leased in the same area for more than 10 years.
The high-cube facility has 35 docks compared with 20 at the old facility. It also has a racking system that can store four levels high, compared with three levels before.
The extra space allows the company to stock its entire line and also eliminates the problem of stacking goods in warehouse aisles, said Toby Konetzny, director of marketing. With the additional height and square footage, he estimated that the building has an 80% increase in storage capacity.
It also has a 10,000-square-foot showroom and about 5,000 square feet for offices. The other facility had a 1,200-square-foot showroom, Konetzny said.
The new facility is one of seven Coaster warehouses, totaling 3.2 million square feet. The others are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fort Worth, Texas, Dayton, N.J., College Park, Ga., and Miramar, Fla.
"Chicago is a growing area for us," Konetzny said.
"The old warehouse was way too small for the growth we had there."
The new facility also has a quick ship component, with in-stock goods going out the door in 24 to 48 hours from the time of order.
