Three decades ago, Home Depot opened a huge distribution facility in Savannah, a lease signing that helped kick off a boom in distribution centers that coincided with the emergence of Savannah’s port as an economic engine on the East Coast.
This week, the Vinings-based home improvement giant said it has acquired the facility and 100 acres of surrounding property from the Savannah Economic Development Authority. The company said the center remains vital to its supply chain network and the purchase cements its commitment to the region.
“This purchase is a testament to the incredible partnerships we’ve built here over the past three decades,” Heather Tenney, Home Depot vice president of distribution, said in a news release. “Savannah’s thriving economic environment and its vital role in our supply chain make this investment a natural progression in our commitment to the community. Our partnership with the Georgia Ports Authority is a critical part of ensuring we can deliver products to our customers quickly and efficiently.”
Home Depot declined to disclose a sales price.
The Home Depot center opened in 1995 in the Crossroads Business Park near the interchange at Jimmy DeLoach Parkway and I-95. The business park spans about 1,500 acres and was developed by SEDA. It is now home to some 5 million square feet of industrial, educational and office space, with tenants including Lowe’s, Dollar Tree and Gulfstream.
The deepening of the Savannah River channel has helped drive tremendous growth at the Savannah port and in the logistics sector, with Savannah being one of the fastest-growing warehousing markets in the nation.
The Savannah port is home to the single-largest container terminal in the U.S. and is one of the busiest in the country. In December, the port said it saw 4.7% growth in containers compared with December 2023, according to the ports authority.
Trip Tollison, president and CEO of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, said Home Depot’s purchase “signals a significant, long-term commitment” by the company to the region and the ports.
Home Depot brings in thousands of containers from cargo vessels each year into the Savannah warehouse. The facility is an entry point for everything from lawn mowers and spring accessories to seasonal products such as Halloween decorations like “everyone’s favorite 12-foot front yard friend, Skelly,” said Evelyn Fornes, a Home Depot senior manager of public affairs.
The Savannah distribution center is also a critical hub for disaster relief supplies that are sent to stores. Home Depot uses the center to send products such as generators, water, wet-dry vacuums, batteries and flashlights in advance of emergency situations such as hurricanes, Fornes said. The center is also stocked with the products customers need for the recovery and rebuilding phases.
Griff Lynch, president and CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority, said Home Depot not only became “the anchor client for our future growth,” in 1995, it also put “the Port of Savannah on the map of global supply chains.”
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