Ingram Book Group announced last week that it will close its Chino, Calif., distribution center by July 2. Jim Chandler, Ingram's chief commercial officer, said the company will begin moving the inventory from the Chino facility to Ingram's superwarehouse in Roseburg, Ore., June 1, with the balance set to go June 15.
Chandler told PW a drop in volume through the Chino center, due in part to the bankruptcy of Crown Books (which at one time had a large presence in Los Angeles and San Diego), plus lower volume from the chains in general led to the decision to close the Chino warehouse. Approximately 185 employees will be affected by the closing, and Ingram will try to place some people at other company locations.
The move out of California will mean that customers in southern California, southern Nevada and Arizona will receive shipments in two days instead of one. "It's something that was unavoidable," Chandler said, adding that a positive aspect of the change is that stores will be receiving one larger shipment rather than smaller shipments from two locations. Ingram is not likely to add new titles to its Roseburg center, although it will stock more copies of titles.
Chino is the second distribution center Ingram closing this year. In February it shut its Denver facility. Chandler said that while the company is constantly reviewing its operations, there are no plans to close additional sites. After Chino closes, Ingram will have five warehouses and one returns center.
