GROWTH EYED IN OKLAHOMA CITY

Mark Hamstra

NASH FINCH CO. said it is considering expanding wholesale distribution service to the Oklahoma City market following the acquisition of a former Fleming Cos. perishables distribution facility there that is intended for use by its military division.

“We have received an unbelievable amount of interest from independents in the area,” Alec Covington, president and chief executive officer, Nash Finch, told SN.

He said the company plans to expand the facility with a dry-grocery component to support its military distribution services, but is also considering the possibility of building it out to support traditional wholesaling as well. Plans call for the facilities to come on-line by late 2011 or early 2012.

“We will need to expand our military footprint into Oklahoma City no matter what, and that has been on the plan since day one,” Covington said.

When the company completed the acquistion of the first building, independent operators in the area immediately began writing letters and phoning the company about the possibility of becoming customers of the company's wholesale distribution business, he explained.

“We are excited about that,” Covington said. The company will mull over the possibility of converting the site into its first dual-function distibution operation during the next six to seven months.

If expanded to include both military and traditional wholesaling, the site could total about 1 million square feet of space, he said.