Cold storage demand prompting new facilities in US southeast
A surge in demand for cold storage is prompting a boom in the development of temperature-controlled facilities in the US southeast.
In January, Flexcold announced the development of a new warehouse in Charleston, South Carolina and the expansion of its facility in Jacksonville, Florida. The company will be adding 30,000 pallet spaces in Charleston, and expanding the Florida building to 350,000 square feet.
In addition, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced it is spending over US$6 million building seven new refrigerated container racks at its Garden City terminal. The port said the expansion of cold storage facilities in the region is partly behind the decision, which boosts its capacity to more than 3,500 plugs. Private chilled and frozen warehouse space in Savannah is set to grow by 11 percent in 2023 to more than 2.2 million square feet.
“The investments that have been made in our port provide the capabilities for our region to efficiently accommodate growing consumer demand for fresh and frozen foods, including poultry and seafood,” said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green.
“We are thrilled that FlexCold continues to grow their business in Jacksonville, attracting new cargo business and the jobs and economic impact it supports to our city and state.”
With its opening in late summer 2022, the company offered more than 150,000 square feet of space. The newest expansion more than doubles the overall building footprint to more than 350,000 square feet, bringing the total number of pallet positions to 55,000, up from the initial 25,000.