UNFI to Consolidate Distribution at New Colorado Facility

United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), a leading national distributor of natural, organic and specialty food, announced plans to consolidate its four existing Denver-based distribution facilities into a new 535,000-square-foot facility at Gateway Park in Aurora, Colo. The new facility is expected to open in summer 2013.

Situated near the Denver International Airport corridor, the new facility will serve as a distribution hub for retailers in the Rocky Mountains region as well as Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The existing facilities’ consolidation extends the company’s focus on enhancing efficiencies; improving productivity through “best in class” warehousing and inventory control systems; lowering operating costs in its distribution network; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

“With new and efficient operations, and all our associates located together, this new facility should enable us to continue to expand our operations while reducing operating costs,” said Steve Spinner, UNFI’s president and chief executive officer. 

The company noted that no jobs should be impacted in the transition. The new distribution facility is expected to open with 475 associates, increasing up to 550 associates within the first three years based on current plans for increased capacity to meet demand.

The new distribution facility will feature approximately 160,000 square feet of refrigeration and freezer space, including an expanded cold dock, and more than 42,000 square feet for employee offices and work spaces. Environmental design plans will focus on resource and energy conservation, use of sustainable and recycled-content building materials and exceptional indoor air quality for the building occupants. The distribution facility will be leased from The Pauls Corp.

As part of its commitment to green initiatives, UNFI plans to pursue LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for this distribution facility once operation begins. LEED is a third-party certification program and a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. 

UNFI carries and distributes more than 65,000 products to more than 27,000 customer locations throughout the United States and Canada. It serves a wide variety of retail formats, including conventional supermarket chains, natural product superstores, independent retail operators and the foodservice channel.