FLEMING TO SHUT TENNESSEE DEPOT

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Fleming Cos. here said last week it plans to close its Knoxville, Tenn., distribution center and consolidate its volume into facilities in Nashville and Johnson City, Tenn.

The consolidation will begin around July 15 and is expected to be completed by Aug. 15, the company said.

Fleming also said it may consolidate more than the eight facilities it had originally said it would close at the time of its acquisition of Scrivner Inc. here last July.

Fleming has already completed consolidations or disclosed plans to consolidate operations at seven Scrivner distribution centers, "and we may close two more this year," Nancy Del Regno, the chain's vice president of corporate communications, told SN last week.

The distributor closed four former Scrivner facilities last year -- in Donna and Victoria, Texas; Montgomery, Ala., and Blooming Praire, Minn. -- and is in the process of closing three more this year -- in Syracuse, N.Y.; Concordia, Kan., and Knoxville.

The consolidations are intended "to capitalize on the synergies of the two organizations [and to move] to larger, more efficient distribution facilities to better control costs for Fleming's retailers and increase overall competitiveness," the company said.

The Knoxville warehouse consists of two buildings with a total area of 250,000 square feet. Volume from that facility will be transferred to either the 734,000-square-foot Nashville warehouse or the 430,000-square-foot Johnson City warehouse.

Del Regno said the 135 employees of the Knoxville facility will be offered the oportunity to transfer to other Fleming divisions if vacancies exist for which they are qualified.