Helen of Troy facility to open in Fayette County by early 2023
A 2-million-square-foot Helen of Troy facility near the Tenn. 196 exit of I-40 in Gallaway, Tenn., is set to open in early 2023. Helen of Troy also has two facilities in DeSoto County — one in Olive Branch and one in Southaven. (Rendering courtesy Helen of Troy)
With Helen of Troy Limited’s new $200 million distribution center nearing completion in Fayette County, nearby communities are bracing for its impact.
The 2-million-square-foot facility is northeast of Memphis near the Tenn. 196 exit of Interstate 40 in Gallaway, just a few miles from Arlington and is the latest in projects that are extending east of Shelby County.
Helen of Troy designs, develops and markets brand-name products in the housewares, health, and home and beauty categories. The new Fayette County fulfillment center will be designed specifically to house the company’s housewares products, including Hydro Flask water bottles and OXO brand kitchen utensils, office supplies and housewares. Other Helen of Troy brands include Vicks, Braun, Honeywell, PUR, Hot Tools and Drybar.
Helen of Troy expects its new distribution facility to begin commercial operation in the first quarter of 2023, according to a company spokesperson, and the company plans to recruit and hire in advance of that.
The new location is expected to create 350 jobs, making it one of the top three employers in Fayette County.
Fayette County Mayor Rhea “Skip” Taylor sees the company coming to the region as a plus for local residents.
“My understanding is the job scale, salaries and packages out there are going to be competitive. They will be good jobs, particularly coming out of a distribution facility,” he said.
Because workforce is tight in Fayette County, Taylor expects Helen of Troy’s opening to affect the overall job market.
“Other companies that may not have the pay package that Helen of Troy has may lose a couple of employees,” Taylor said. “But all in all, I think it shows that there is confidence in the area for what we can provide for everything from location to tax structure to working with the local government.”
Fayette County gave Helen of Troy a PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) for the project, and the company installed the necessary infrastructure, meaning the local governments did not have to carry that debt.
“I think there are some other businesses looking in that area now that the utilities are there, so that’s sort of a springboard for that whole area. Gallaway’s going to benefit quite a bit as well as (the west) end of Fayette County,” Taylor said.
Arlington Mayor Mike Wissman is cautiously optimistic about the facility’s impact on Arlington. He notes that the Helen of Troy project is not one that Arlington is directly involved with in any way.
“So we get a lot of our information second- and third-hand, so there is concern about a facility that size and the impact on our community because it’s more of a distribution type warehouse,” Wissman said. “So where it is in relation to our residential areas, the access roads to the interstate and through town, and if or what any kind of traffic impact would be from their trucks going in and out are the first concerns from our residents and town staff.”
His understanding is that everything should be directed through I-40 so there should be little impact traffic-wise on Arlington.
“We just want to make sure it stays that way,” Wissman said. “If they do bring good jobs, then we have a feeling we will be the benefactor of that, being the closest place with good schools, a strong community and a safe environment.”
The new facility will feature state-of-the-art information technology systems and high levels of automation. It will be scalable to demand, with sophisticated and direct-to-consumer capabilities.
When asked about the project, the company’s response said, “Each of these is expected to help us continue to grow our business efficiently for many years to come.”
Helen of Troy has grown significantly since 2014, with sales increasing by 70% to $2.2 billion in fiscal 2022.
In its response to the inquiries regarding the project, the company said: “This new distribution center is a critical project to catch up with our expansion and deliver on our future growth strategies with greater scale and efficiency. It will expand our distribution operations in the region and will help us better serve our retail customers and direct-to-consumer orders.”
Helen of Troy also has two facilities in DeSoto County — one in Southaven and one in Olive Branch.
Topics
Helen of Troy Limited Gallaway distribution centers Arlington Rhea "Skip" Taylor Arlington Mayor Mike WissmanMichael Waddell
Michael Waddell is a native Memphian with more than 20 years of professional writing and editorial experience, working most recently with The Daily News and High Ground News.
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