Fry’s Electronics putting warehouse in Hanford

March opening expected; 150 jobs could be generated

February 01, 2013 6:00 pm  •  By Seth Nidever

HANFORD — Fry’s Electronics, a major retail outlet in California, is locating a repair warehouse in Hanford that could bring as many as 150 jobs.

Kings Industrial Park, located about two miles south of town, will be the site for the warehouse, which will take returns and warranty repairs from the company’s retail stores.

The company plans to open the building in March, company spokesman Manuel Valerio said Thursday. It’ll bring more than 100 jobs and possibly as many as 150, he said.

“It’s a well-placed, centrally located facility that will better serve all of our stores in the California area,” Valerio said. “We’re just happy to be a part of the Hanford community.”

The facility will replace a San Jose repair warehouse the company is shutting down, he said. The Hanford location will serve 16 California Fry’s stores, equally split between the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

The announcement breathes new life into the Kings Industrial Park. Fry’s will occupy the former 175,000-square-foot International Paper building that closed in December 2008, taking with it 90 jobs. The facility formerly made corrugated containers for agricultural and industrial use.

“We’re absolutely delighted that a company with the name recognition and positive reputation of Fry’s has chosen Hanford and Kings County to locate a major part of their business,” said John Lehn, Kings County Economic Development Corp. CEO.

The Kings One-Stop Job Center at 124 N. Irwin St. in Hanford started handing out Fry’s applications Wednesday. The company is expected to conduct interviews in Hanford Feb. 11-16 for a wide range of part-time and full-time positions, Lehn said.

He encouraged job seekers to get their applications in as soon as possible.

“Anytime you have a single employer hiring [that many] people, that’s a huge deal for our county,” Lehn said.

Getting a high-profile name like Fry’s in the Kings Industrial Park could help attract other companies looking for a midpoint site between Southern California and the Bay Area, he said.

http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/fry-s-electronics-putting-warehouse-in-hanford/article_76f8e928-6ca6-11e2-aa3d-0019bb2963f4.html